NBA Rumors: Why Chris Paul Won't Play for New York Knicks This Season

Chris Paul may have told his agent that he wants to play in New York City for the Knicks. However, he will not get traded this year, and it’s not because the Knicks do not have prospects or draft picks. It’s because NBA League Commissioner, David Stern, will not allow the trade to go through. 

According to the New York Daily News about Stern’s involvement in this potential New Orleans Hornets deal to the Knicks:

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"Paul’s situation is unique because the Hornets are being run by the NBA, so in theory commissioner David Stern can dictate where Paul ends up. That could be looked at one of two ways. It makes sense for Paul to land in a major market, but one of the league’s goals during the lockout was to make it tougher for franchise players to leave the clubs that drafted them.

"'I don’t see the league trading him to the Knicks because that goes against everything they said during the lockout,' said one prominent agent who does not represent Paul. 'They don’t want players like Chris Paul just getting up and leaving.'”

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During the NBA lockout, Stern made a point to tell smaller market teams that they would not lose their stars. That a team like the Indiana Pacers would not lose their best player in Danny Granger when he was about to become a free agent. 

Now with Stern and the NBA Owners owning the New Orleans Hornets, it would be the exact opposite of what they were saying during the lockout. 

There is nothing that the Knicks can offer the Hornets that would make this trade seem “fair.” The Knicks do not have a first-round draft pick until the 2018 draft. These first-round picks are tied up between Houston and Denver, from previous trades. Plus, their second-round picks are tied up next year with Phoenix. 

Unless there is a third team that can add some draft picks, or prospects in a Paul deal there is no way this happens during the 2011-12 NBA season. 

Stern wants to do his best to keep the NBA from becoming four to six super teams. Trading Paul this year would show that Stern is stacking the deck in favor of New York City. 

He controls where Paul goes this year, not Paul or his agent. He will stay in New Orleans until the end of this year, and then will sign with New York to form another super team. 

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