Chris Paul Trade Rumors: All-Star PG Doesn't Make Clippers a Contender

The chances of Chris Paul being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers looked bleak as of Monday, but there is still a light at the end of the tunnel.

While the league officials, including David Stern, try to squeeze the most out of any Paul trade, they are holding both the New Orleans Hornets and Clippers hostage while the negotiating process continues.

Stern is trying to sell the NBA-owned Hornets, so letting Paul leave will drastically affect the price the league can get during the sale. While it hurts to let Paul go, it’s an even worse deal for the Clippers.

ESPN NBA Insiders Marc Stein and Chris Broussard are reporting the deal between New Orleans and Los Angeles is not dead yet:

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One source close to the process also told ESPN that league officials also definitely did not see talks with the Clippers as "over," since they rank as the Hornets' most natural trade partner given L.A.'s trade assets and how it ranks as Paul's preferred destination if he can't land with the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks. The NBA remains "hopeful," according to the source, that Paul's fate can be resolved "soon."

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While the two teams can be hopeful all they want, the trade for Chris Paul will not make the Los Angeles Clippers a winning team. Potentially giving up Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick is just too much to make the move worth it.

There is no doubt Paul is one of the best players in the NBA, but Los Angeles will have no depth left and very minimal talent left on the floor. Clippers fans better get used to blowout losses and constant alley-oops from CP3 to Blake Griffin because that is essentially all LA would have.

Paul has said he would stay with the Clippers for at least two seasons, but what if he doesn’t want to stay after two seasons? That would means the Clippers gave up almost their entire future, minus Griffin, for an extended-rental player.

If David Stern can get that much for Paul, he should be given an award, not chastised.

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