Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
The Los Angeles Lakers are not out of the Chris Paul Sweepstakes.
A league source involved in the discussions said late Tuesday night that the Lakers are still among the teams the New Orleans Hornets are having advanced discussions with on a potential trade of Paul, the four-time All-Star guard who is seeking a trade after spending his first six seasons in the Big Easy.
The Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Celtics currently have a leg up on other teams that are trying to acquire Paul. Yahoo! Sports had reported earlier Tuesday that the Clippers, Warriors and Celtics had the three best offers on the table for Paul. The Lakers’ potential offer would send either center Andrew Bynum or forward Pau Gasol along with forward Lamar Odom to the Hornets for Paul.
The Clippers are offering a package, according to sources, that includes guard Eric Bledsoe, forward Al-Farouq Aminu, center Chris Kaman and the unprotected 2012 first-round pick the Clippers currently possess from the Timberwolves. Another source was adamant Tuesday that the Clippers have not included rising star guard Eric Gordon in any package for Paul, preferring to keep Gordon and Blake Griffin together to team with Paul in their own “SuperFriends” team like the Heat.
The Warriors are offering a package involving their young star guard Stephen Curry and their first-round pick Klay Thompson.
The Celtics’ package, according to a source, centers on guard Rajon Rondo, along with the rights to first-rounder MarShon Brooks, forward Avery Bradley and a 2012 first-round pick from the Clippers that is protected through the first 10 picks of the Draft.
While the Hornets could conceivably make a deal with any of those teams individually, it’s more likely that each of them will require a third team getting involved to get the Hornets the combination of young players and Draft picks they’re asking for in exchange for Paul. And the fluidity of the situation, with the Hornets looking for as much as they possibly can get for Paul, makes establishing a single frontrunner difficult.
The league source indicated that while it would be preferable to trade Paul before the scheduled start of training camps on Friday, the Hornets are not going to be held hostage by the calendar. The Hornets “don’t feel a rush” to move Paul under those conditions, the source said; while the franchise understands the pressure Paul is under, the Hornets aren’t the ones who have asked for a divorce. The Hornets are working almost around the clock sifting through potential deals.
“There’s no bad blood with Chris,” the source said. “It’s just the business.”
(Story Continues…)
WRITTEN BY Longtime NBA reporter and columnist David Aldridge is an analyst for TNT. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.
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