Chris Paul Is Not Being Traded to the Los Angeles Clippers and That Is Okay

I am very proud of the Los Angeles Clippers today. On the day when the Clippers failed to complete a trade for Chris Paul, I am proud to be a Clippers fan.

Sounds crazy, right? I mean, Chris Paul is one of, if not the best point guards in the NBA. His addition to play with Blake Griffin would drive the Clippers to commercial heights, which they had never dared to dream of before.

This was going to be your team: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and a few superlative players. So how much is Chris Paul really worth in trade? Half of the Clippers roster? How much is any superstar worth in trade?

In return for Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets got some interesting players. But most of the players were younger veterans as opposed to young players. Some would need new contracts to stay with the Nuggets.

The Jazz got a young lottery pick out of Derrick Favors, Devin Harris who is a decent, young veteran, and two first round picks. The first of the picks was from the mid-lottery range. The next could very well be out of the lottery.

Here is what the NBA New Orleans Hornets wanted from the Clippers in return for Chris Paul:

PG - Eric Bledose (18th overall pick in 2010)

SG - Eric Gordon (7th overall pick in 2008, potential All-Star)

SF - Al-Farouq Aminu (8th overall pick in 2010)

C - Chris Kaman (6th overall pick in 2003, former All-Star)

Minnesota Timberwolves 2012 unprotected 1st Round Draft Pick

For those of you scoring at home (assuming the Timberwolves are in the lottery again in 2012) that's four lottery picks. A mid-first round pick for two guaranteed seasons of Chris Paul, and his bad knee. If traded to the Clippers, Paul would agree to not opt-out of his contract in 2012. It would guarantee the Clippers two years of his service. But this would be his team:

PG - Chris Paul

SG - Randy Foye/Mo Williams

SF - Caron Butler

PF - Blake Griffin

C - DeAndre Jordan

I'm not really going to mention the bench because the best player on it would be Ryan Gomes. Also, whomever didn't start out of the Randy Foye—Mo Williams group. Does this seem like a team that would contend for a championship? Maybe a playoff birth in the Western Conference, but that's about it.

If Chris Paul walks after 2012, Blake Griffin can follow him the year after. The Clippers are further behind the rest of the league than they have ever been.

It was way too much to give up. Aminu, Bledose, Kaman (and his expiring contract) plus either Eric Gordon, or the Timberwolves 2012 pick was fair. To ask for both would leave the Clippers devoid of any other tradable assets. After matching the Warriors contract offer for DeAndre Jordan, they would have no salary cap room either.

Keeping Eric Gordon would in theory give the Clippers the third component for their "Big 3". Keeping the Timberwolves draft pick would allow the Clippers to draft a top talent with a rookie contract, or give them the ammo to make more deals.

The Clippers are not at the point where free agents will sign with them for below market value. Nor haggle to finesse sign-and-trades to land in the "other" locker room at the Staples Center. So they need to have at least one proverbial bullet left in their gun after any major trade they make right now.

Maybe not trading for Chris Paul will just work out for the better. There's a reason that the Hornets want all of these assets. They are desirable. They have value. That means that other teams will also be interested when the time comes.

The obvious move is coming. The Clippers are going to match the Warriors offer for restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan. To the tune of a reported 4-years, $43 million. The Clippers are previously believed to have offered Jordan a 5-year, $40 million deal. This will set the stage for Chris Kaman to exit stage left, probably before the season starts.

To throw another wrench in the works, it is being reported that the Clippers have claimed Chauncey Billups after he was an amnesty cut for the New York Knicks. It's unknown if Billups will report to the Clippers. He had previously warned teams not to claim him, or he would retire.

Should he report, the Clippers are now strong at the point guard position. Chauncey Billups is the grizzled veteran. Pretty much the same role Sam Cassel played a few years ago.

Mo Williams is the back-up point guard-slash-sixth man-slash-occasional shooting guard. Eric Bledsoe is the young talent who can learn from both while providing quality depth.

That doesn't seem like that bad of a deal. Not at all. Now with the cupboards still full, the Clippers can spend some time trying to figure out what works, and what doesn't with their current roster. Then they can make a deal. When the time is right.

We've seen excellent NBA general managers wait until the absolute right time to pull the trigger. Patience is the Clippers friend this season.

Put it this way; if Eric Gordon is in the NBA All-Star game with Blake Griffin this season, and the Clippers land Harrison Barnes in the 2012 draft, then will anybody be complaining about missing out on Chris Paul?