Chris Paul Trade on Hold: New Orleans Hornets Win in Trade, Not L.A. Lakers

It's only day one of free agency signing and already there are moves of epic proportions in the NBA.

According to ESPN.com, the three-team deal that would have sent New Orleans Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul to the L.A. Lakers is now off.

Commissioner David Stern intervened, as there was protest from owners. According to ESPN's Chris Broussard, there were also second thoughts within the Lakers organization that led to the hold on the trade.

The doubt came from the fact that the Lakers would be losing two of their top power forwards in Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, and would receive no power forward in return.

However, there is no doubt that the trade would have easily given the purple and gold the most talented backcourt in the NBA.

The three-team trade was between the L.A. Lakers, New Orleans Hornets and Houston Rockets. Here is a quick breakdown of the deal:

Lakers Get:

PG Chris Paul

Rockets Get:

PF Pau Gasol

Hornets Get:

PF Lamar Odom

PF Luis Scola

SG Kevin Martin

The name that catches the eye first is Chris Paul. This is no surprise, as Paul is one of the better point guards, if not the best point guard, in the NBA.

However, upon further examination of the trade, it is not the Lakers who are the real winners here. There is no question that the Hornets get the stronger end of the deal.

Acquiring Lamar Odom and Luis Scola would give the Hornets two solid options at the power forward position. In turn, this allows the team to forget about re-signing David West, who would be a costly free agent for the team.

Coming from the Lakers, Odom is a winner of multiple NBA championships. In the last four years, the Lakers have won the NBA Championship twice and are three-time NBA finalists. This is a veteran power forward in the game that provides stability at the four-spot.

At times last season, Scola was as strong as any power forward in the league. In December of 2010, Scola scored in double-digits every game, averaging 19.1 points and 7.5 rebound per game. On the year, Scola netted 18.3 points and grabbed 8.2 rebounds per game.

The final piece to the puzzle: the acquisition of one of the league's top scoring threats.

That player happens to be Houston Rockets guard Kevin Martin.

Martin averaged 23.5 points per game last season with the Rockets, while shooting a decent 43.6 percent from the field.

The Hornets would pick up a consistent scoring threat in Martin, who has averaged at least 20 points per game in five of the last six seasons.

The icing on the cake is at the point guard position, where the team has Jarret Jack ready to step into a starting role.

Jack had played well backing up Chris Paul last season, averaging 8.9 points and 2.9 assists in just 19.6 minutes per game.

In the two games Jack played in place of Paul, Jack averaged 22 points, five rebounds and five assists.

He is no CP3. At the end of the day, though, Jack is still a player with the potential to start games.

Meanwhile, the Lakers lose one of the game's better power forwards in Pau Gasol, and a veteran power forward in Lamar Odom.

This leaves the Lakers with a major gap at the position, despite boasting Andrew Bynum at center. 

What it comes down to is the following: losing Gasol is not just losing any talent. It's losing a player that helped make this Lakers team championship contenders.

Since his arrival in L.A., the team has gone to three NBA finals and has won two NBA championships.

Before Gasol, the Lakers were playoff contenders at best. In 2007, the year before Gasol arrived, the Lakers ended at just 42-40.

The Lakers would have to fill the void at power forward before the season begins.

Chris Paul is a tremendous addition to the roster, giving Bryant another weapon to work with in the backcourt. But the trade is not worth it for the Lakers if they don't acquire a power forward in the deal as well.

Bringing in Luis Scola, Lamar Odom and Kevin Martin would give the Hornets a plethora of firepower, and a promising season to look forward to.