Chris Paul Trade Rumors: NBA Reportedly Kills Deal Sending CP3 to the Lakers
And just like that, it was gone.
The world was on fire with news that Chris Paul had finally been granted his wish to be sent to a contender when sources reported the Hornets had shipped him off to the Lakers.
All that is gone now, as reports are coming in that the mega deal is dead.
ESPN's Marc Stein tweeted this on Thursday evening.
The reason for the mammoth flip-flop is simple: The owners didn't want it and found fault with the league-owned Hornets pulling the trigger on a deal that had huge repercussions. So, David Stern has apparently caved.
Adrian Wojnarowski reports the following through this insightful tweet.
The owners whined to the big man upstairs, and he has since pulled the plug on this deal. The Hornets would have received Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic and two draft picks, as well as Lamar Odom, last year's Sixth Man of the Year.
Now they are forced to hold on to Chris Paul.
The question now is, can they even trade him? New Orleans would have had a huge influx of talent for a player who is going to leave in just a few months.
Now a franchise that is hurting for fans is forced to keep Paul and potentially lose him for nothing. The powerhouse that may have landed in Los Angeles will now take place elsewhere.
The only thing the owners altered is when it takes place. The owners, acting in their best interests, have negated a trade that would have brought at least some talent to New Orleans.
Now there is a real danger that no deal takes place for Paul, and he walks in several months for free.
The NBA: where self-interest happens.
So what did Paul have to say about all this? Here is his tweet following the ridiculous action.
Wow, indeed.
UPDATE: Thursday, 10:20 p.m. EST
By way of a tweet from Marc Stein of ESPN, it seems this situation is going to get very ugly.
I am sure David Stern wanted something cut and dry. This is going to play out more like a festering wound.
