NBA Rumors: Chris Paul to Clippers, Jamal Crawford to Knicks and More

Just because it's Sunday doesn't mean the NBA shut down its abbreviated offseason. There's lots of action involving some of the biggest teams in the NBA and some of the biggest name players. 

So you don't have to scour the Internet looking for all the latest news; you can get it right here. We'll start with the biggest news first and then work our way down. 

Chris Paul to Lakers Dead, but Move to LA Still Possible

The first big news that came out today was that the Lakers abruptly pulled out of the Chris Paul trade talks.

That doesn't mean that the superstar point guard won't be traded to Los Angeles, though, as he could be coming to the same city, but with a different team.

The Clippers have more youth to offer, and today, they matched the Warriors' offer to De Andre Jordan.  Why?

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But sources also say New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul's interest in potentially being traded to the Clippers stems, in part, from the prospect of playing with Jordan, who is a younger, stronger version ofTyson Chandler, with whom Paul played for three seasons in New Orleans before Chandler was dealt in 2009 to the Charlotte Bobcats.

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Marc Gasol Headed to Houston? Not so Fast

Marc Gasol has agreed to terms with the Houston Rockets. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets, 

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The Rockets are working to sign Marc Gasol to a 4 year, $55M offer sheet, sources tell Y! Memphis would have 3 days to match, or lose him.

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According to Wojnarowski, the Grizz could offer a sign and trade, but would most likely match the offer. 

I'm inclined to agree with Wojo. This is a no-brainer. In sure things this offseason, one was that Gasol would be offered a max deal from someone, and the other was that Memphis would match it. 

Houston has been trying so hard to come up with a center and coming up short at every turn. No Chandler, no Nene, no Pau Gasol, and now they're trying Marc Gasol, but that's going to be a no-go, too. 

At least Nene hasn't signed anywhere yet, but if you contract "Nene yet," as in they haven't gotten Nene yet, you get "N'et." 

Lamar Odom Brings the Kardashian Show to Dallas

In what is without question, one of the most shocking deals in years, the Los Angeles Lakers inextricably send their reigning sixth man of the year to Dallas Mavericks in a veritable give away, receiving nothing but a trade exception in return. As ESPN reports: 

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The Lakers informed the league-owned Hornets and the Rockets they were pulling out of the stonewalled deal, sources said, and instead trading Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas is able to accommodate Odom's $8.9 million salary without surrendering any prized assets thanks to a new trade exception created through the Mavericks' three-team deal with New York and Washington earlier Saturday that landed Tyson Chandler with the Knicks.

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Even being creative, I'm pressed to find a logic to this. It makes their rival that swept them out of the playoffs last year better. It does nothing to make themselves better, and it gets rid of an asset that could have been used in trying to acquire Dwight Howard. 

If it were any team but the Lakers, I would say it's a 100 percent chance that it was a stupid move, but considering it was the Lakers, I'll reserve the one percent chance they know what they are doing. 

Bulls Enter Dwight Howard Sweeps

Other big news involves the ultimate prize, the big man, Dwight Howard. The Chicago Bulls, in spite of the fact that they are not one of the three teams that Howard has expressed interest in, have entered the sweeps. 

Speculation is that the Bulls would offer a package, including Joakim Noah and Luol Deng along with one of their young big men and/or draft picks, in addition to taking on Hedo Turkoglu's bad contract. 

When it comes to the combination of young players under contract and assets, the Bulls actually have more to offer than anyone else. The question surrounding the Bulls would be whether Howard would approve the trade. 

If they can make the right pitch to the center, look for the Bulls to be a major player in the Howard sweeps. 

Would that make them better, though? That's another question. The Bulls are a pretty complete team right now, and overhauling them could actually have a detrimental effect. It could also make them the undeniable favorite to win it all. 

With this, it all comes down to how much the Bulls would have to give up. Having the league's best defensive player playing for the best defensive coach is intriguing, though. 

David West to Pacers, OJ Mayo Next?

What, you thought David West was going to the Boston Celtics? That's so yesterday's news. Essentially, the hang-up there was that no one wanted to take away Jermaine O'Neal's bad contract. 

If you're a Pacers fan, this is a very good thing. West offers two things. First, he's a good post scorer and one of the more consistent ones over the last several years. 

Second, you have an awesome veteran locker-room presence. 

The Pacers are also pushing for OJ Mayo, according to Mike Wells. 

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As it appears Jamal Crawford may end up n NYC, the Pacers r expected to reach out to Memphis about OJ Mayo again, according to a source.

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Adding both West and Mayo to a young team that played strong to end the season and then pressed the Chicago Bulls in their opening-round series would go a long way towards putting the Pacers to the next level. 

Perhaps it also makes the transition of the last couple of years official. Is the Eastern Conference now better than the Western Conference?

Jamal Crawford to Knicks

The Hawks might have overplayed their hands with Jamal Crawford. Once close to working with a sign and trade with Chicago that would have given them more, right when they were close to working that deal, the Pistons bought out Rip Hamilton and Chicago worked a deal there. 

There were reports earlier today that the Knicks were trying to work a sign and trade, but that's not likely to happen now, according to the latest reports, as the Hawks weren't interested. The Knicks don't have enough to offer.

That means that the most the Knicks can offer is their bi-annual exception of $2.5 million. It's doubtful that Crawford is going to sign for that. It's possible that the aforementioned Pacers could go after him rather than that Mayo sign and trade.   

Kurt Thomas Signs a Two-Year Deal with Portland

This is mostly news because the NBA's oldest player got a two-year deal. That's downright crazy. 

Kurt Thomas, he who was unbelievable in stepping in at 39 and helping the Bulls navigate through the nightmare that saw their big men taking turns getting injured, landed a two-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Asked why he agreed to the deal, Thomas replied, "Eh? What's that sonny? You gotta speak up. My hearing ain't what it used to be."

Actually, that's not what he said, but it should have been. 

The Trail Blazers get a fantastic leader and one of the better screen setters in the game as well. Ironically the old man also gives them a big man they don't have to worry about getting injured.