Chris Paul Lakers: New Orleans Hornets Won't Get a Better Offer for All-Star

Chris Paul going to the Los Angeles Lakers seemed inevitable until LA pulled the plug early Sunday morning.

Now where does New Orleans go? The trade they had in place would have benefited the Hornets greatly not only in the present but in the immediate future. The Hornets won’t get a better offer for their All-Star than what they were set to receive from the Lakers and Houston Rockets.

Aside from losing the best player in the trade, New Orleans would have grabbed Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom and a 2012 first round draft selection. Goran Dragic may have also been in the deal. They clearly had the best value of return.

That is three starters they didn’t have last season.

Martin, Scola and Odom provided 56.2 points, 20.1 rebounds and eight assists per game last season. Martin averaged 23.5 points per game last season, Scola averaged 18.3 and Odom averaged 14.4.

Scola is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He is a career 51.5 percent field-goal shooter with sly moves around the basket.

Odom won the Sixth Man of the Year last season with the Lakers. He is good enough to start in the NBA, but doesn’t mind coming off the bench if it means his team is winning games.

Martin has really been a consistent scorer since the 2006-07 season with the Sacramento Kings. He has recorded six straight 20-plus scoring years. That’s a great accomplishment in the NBA.  

The wild card to the whole equation is the 2012 first round draft choice. Teams can build through drafts, and the Hornets have an opportunity for a couple whacks at grabbing a player that can change their franchise.

But that trade is officially washed out.

Now who do the Hornets turn to? They won’t get the same value of return for Paul in a future trade. I would be shocked if they received a better trade from any other team.

Paul needs to be traded before the deadline, and I’m sure the Hornets will make it happen. The NBA looks awful for rescinding the trade that would have sent Paul to LA. Let’s hope that they can find something equal if not better to what they did earlier unless the NBA is going to look even worse.

Dealing Paul has to happen. They can’t allow their organization to be setback several years because of not finding the correct deal. I have no doubt that a deal will come. It will be very interesting to see how the trades compare to one another.