Chris Paul to New York Knicks: Roadblocks to the Potential Deal

Chris Paul may have requested a trade to the New York Knicks, and while such a turn of events makes a union more likely, it is far from a guarantee.

While Paul seems as if he is ready to follow the road paved by Carmelo Anthony, it is still unclear if that path still leads to New York. The point guard clearly wants to become a Knick, but there are a number of other factors that come into play that could make or break the situation. 

It was always going to take a strong push from Paul himself to get a deal done, but the longer this saga drags on, the more of an opportunity there is for something to come along and prevent this pairing from happening altogether.

Los Angeles Lakers

While it is certainly a long-shot for the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, it remains a possibility, and one that could prevent the Knicks from acquiring the star point guard at that.

The Lakers have the ability to offer the New Orleans Hornets Pau Gasol, compared to New York's ability to offer Chauncey Billups' expiring deal and fillers. When a player of Paul's caliber is put on the block, the respective team is always looking to milk as much star potential out of the deal as possible. Gasol is more of a star than anything the Knicks could offer.

While the Lakers have not been named publicly on Paul's list of preferred destinations, if he sees that a Howard for Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom deal is about to go down, he could consider jumping on the bandwagon.

New York currently has an edge in negotiations because they are Paul's first choice, but they need to ensure they do not squander precious time, as the Lakers do have the ability to come into play.

Los Angeles Clippers

Believe it or not, it is the other team from Los Angeles that poses a bigger threat to the Knicks' pursuit of Chris Paul.

The Clippers are thought to be among Paul's list of preferred destinations, and should they decide to abandon their attempts at landing Howard, the star point guard could be next on their list.

Los Angeles has the ability to offer New Orleans a package with Eric Gordon as the focal point. Such an offer is much more promising than anything New York would be able to put together, and thus serves as a major threat to any potential deal.

Paul seems prepared to exert any leverage he may have in an attempt to land himself in New York, but if the Knicks are unable to come to an accord with the Hornets in a reasonable amount of time, he may give the team a green light to start dealing with the Clippers as well.

That would be more than just bad news for New York.

Iman Shumpert and Landry Fields

Outside of Chauncey Billups' expiring contract, the Knicks' two biggest assets are guards Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert, who have only one-year of NBA experience between them.

Any potential deal largely rests on New Orleans' interest in either of them, or perhaps even both.

If the Carmelo Anthony saga taught us anything, it's that this process we are about to embark on is going to be a lengthy one. The Hornets will not be inclined to deal Paul before having an adequate look at the assets it would be acquiring in return.

While Paul exerting his leverage is a huge deal, and does the Knicks a favor, if New Orleans isn't at all impressed by the play of Fields and/or Shumpert at the beginning of season, the framework for a potential deal becomes even more difficult to establish.

Should both guards come out of the gate hot, and turn heads with their performances, New York's chances at landing Paul will only increase. If they struggle though, it decreases the likelihood of a deal being pushed through, even with Paul to back up New York.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Currently, the Oklahoma City Thunder seem to pose no threat to New York's Chris Paul aspirations, yet as long as Russell Westbrook's ability to coexist consistently with Kevin Durant is up in the air, they are a team with the potential to burn the Knicks bad.

The Thunder do not seem inclined to deal their prolific guard, but even amongst actual basketball circles, there are those who believe a Westbrook for Paul swap actually makes sense. And while Oklahoma City rejected an offer that would have landed Westbrook with Boston in exchange for Rajon Rondo, Paul is a different caliber of player who may peak their interest.

Westbrook may not be on the chopping block, but if an offer involving Paul came along, it would not be farfetched to believe that they would consider it.

The Thunder have not been named as a preferred destination of Paul's, but it is hard to imagine him turning down the opportunity to play alongside perhaps the best player currently in the league.

All indications are that Paul's heart is in New York, but it may not take much for him to switch gears and relocate it to Oklahoma City. 

Dwight Howard

Somewhat surprisingly, the Knicks could prove to be their own biggest roadblock if they exhibit any sort of uncertainty on their end of potential negotiations.

With Dwight Howard still available, and the Knicks in need of a big man, they could consider riding the storm out and making a play for the star center. Chris Paul is a once in a lifetime acquisition, but Howard is an even rarer commodity.

If the Knicks show any reluctance to make a deal for Paul until Howard's situation is resolved, Paul himself may be forced to ask New Orleans to deal him elsewhere. While it is unlikely New York would ever pass on the opportunity to obtain Paul, nothing can be ruled out when Howard is involved.

Additionally, there are those who believe that Howard is in fact the better suited target, and thus the player whom the Knicks should set their sights on.

New York may top Paul's list of preferred destinations, and he may even be prepared to force his way onto the team, but he is not likely to respond well if he believes he is no longer the Knicks' first option.

And as long as Howard's future remains unresolved, this is a legitimate possibility.

You can follow Dan Favale on Twitter here @Dan_Favale.