Chris Paul Trade: In Defense of David Stern

David Stern was right all along.

When the NBA commissioner officially signed off on a deal that sent New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, his oft-questioned decisions during the preceding week were immediately validated.

Eight days ago, Stern vetoed a three-team deal in which the Los Angeles Lakers would have netted Paul—a move that led to much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Almost immediately, Stern replaced LeBron James as Public Enemy No. 1 in the NBA. Everyone was certain that all of the "goodwill" that the NBA had gained by not completely scrapping the season would disappear into the ether.

Only that doesn't seem to be the case.

People are upset, to be sure. But the vitriol is misdirected. Those drawing comparisons between Stern and a fantasy football commissioner are misguided.

The NBA doesn't make it a habit of rejecting trades. However, the situation with the Hornets is different: The league actually owns the franchise after purchasing it last year for $300 million.

And to be clear, David Stern works for—and in the best interests of—the NBA and its member owners. So when he chose to reject the deal that would have created the backcourt of Lakers fans' dreams, he was well within his rights to do so.

No one doubts the fact that the vetoed trade was more than reasonable for the Hornets. But while the three-team deal would have given them more talent this season, it didn't make much sense for New Orleans in the big picture.

In Luis Scola (31 years old) and Kevin Martin (28 years old) alone, the Hornets would have been on the hook for $43.5 million in salary for three seasons after 2011-12. With the trade that was consummated on Wednesday, the Hornets have only $29.3 million committed to salaries for the 2012-13 season (that figure includes a $5.1 million qualifying offer to Eric Gordon) and no current salary cap obligations for 2014-15.

That fact, plus the likelihood that New Orleans could have two high lottery selections next season (their own and Minnesota's unprotected pick that they acquired in the Paul deal), makes the Hornets an extremely attractive investment property. Stern has pledged to provide the league's owners with a return on its purchase of the Hornets, and he appears to be on his way to doing just that.

At the start of next season, Emeka Okafor could potentially be the only player on the roster over the age of 30. And in Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu and the team's first-round selections next summer, New Orleans should have a nice young core that they can build around for years to come.

It should be noted that this wasn't the most flawless negotiation process in the history of professional sports. In the process of trading Paul, the NBA all but emasculated Hornets general manager Dell Demps. During the final stages of the deal, Demps appeared to be nothing more than an intermediary as he funneled prospective trades to the league office.

Stern more or less acknowledged as much during a conference call following the trade on Wednesday night. "Let's not talk too much about how the sausage was made," Stern said.

Unfortunately, in the wake of the lockout and the Paul situation, one of the enduring images of Stern will be that of a puppet master. Even before this offseason, many envisioned him controlling the strings behind the scenes like the Wizard of Oz.

But while Stern has an infamous temper, he is far less nefarious than some make him out to be. It's highly unlikely that the desk in his New York City office is equipped with a magic button like those in the Buffalo Wild Wings commercials.

This situation is a clear sign that the NBA should not be in the business of controlling franchises. But if and when they are, they still need to act in the best interests of the other 29 clubs.

Furthermore, there is no conflict of interest when it comes to the New Orleans Hornets. With every action that he undertakes as commissioner, Stern has but one aim: to make the NBA better as a whole.

"All we were trying to do was... something that we viewed as the best that the Hornets could do," said Stern on Wednesday night.

And with the Paul trade, he did just that.