Chris Paul: Why the Trade Is Great for the New Orleans Hornets

As many have already reported, Chris Paul is finally out of New Orleans.

The breaking news came during the afternoon, as the Los Angeles Clippers were able to pull off the deal to acquire Chris Paul from the Hornets.

Here is a brief overlook on who was traded, and where:

To Clippers: Chris Paul, Two Second-Round Draft Picks

To Hornets: Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, Minnesota 2012 First-Round Draft Pick (Unprotected)

This trade, as good as it seems for the Clippers, was a complete loss, and David Stern made a smart decision forcing the Clippers to trade Eric Gordon.

Let us analyze what each player in this trade means.

In my opinion, Eric Gordon was the centerpiece of this deal, not Chris Paul. Eric Gordon was the seventh overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and every year since being drafted, he has improved.

This past season was his breakout season, where he averaged close to 24 points per game. There is no denying that Gordon has not yet reached his potential and still has a lot to learn.

Al-Farouq Aminu was the eighth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and was piled up behind Ryan Gomes on the Clippers depth chart for the entire season.

Aminu has a ton of potential, and in a league where athleticism rules, Aminu has a bright future ahead of him if the Hornets use him properly.

Chris Kaman may not be the All-Star he used to be, but he brings intangibles and a post presence to the Hornets.

He and Emeka Okafor could be a very good front court for a team that just got a great backcourt addition.

But the main reason the Hornets traded for Kaman has to be his expiring contract. After this season, the Hornets will have a lot of money to spend on free agents in 2012.

The Minnesota Draft pick may look like a top five pick, but think about this:

The Timberwolves have a good head coach in Rick Adelman, a highly touted prospect in Ricky Rubio, a developing shooting guard in Wesley Johnson, up-and-comer Derick Williams, All-Star Kevin Love and if they address their need at center, can be a very good team.

Chris Paul is the main piece heading the other way, and despite being an All-Star, he has really lost his style in the past few seasons.

His production has gone down and Paul is looking like a shadow of his former self. His injury problems have been getting worse too.

Paul is getting weaker as the years go by, but despite the injury problems, he is easily one of the top point guards in the league.

On paper, and in reality, the Clippers got better, but at the same time, the Hornets got a sweet deal for the future of the franchise. 

One thing Clipper fans have to remember is, although they got Chris Paul, they still have Mo Williams and Chauncey Billups on the depth chart, which means a trade might be brewing.