Potential Trade Offers from Chris Paul's Dream List
Sorry to beat a dying horse, but the more I look at this situation, the more I think the Hawks are one of the only teams that have a legitimate shot at getting Chris Paul. The most important reason for this is because Chris Paul doesn't get to pick exactly where he wants to go, a la LeBron. The Hornets have Paul signed for two years, so they have all the leverage here, but Chris Paul's "dream list" has ESPN and the rest of the NBA media focusing on only four teams Orlando, New York, Portland, and Dallas. The problem is, these teams don't have anything close to what the Hawks can offer. (To be a realistic option, a team must be able to take on the contracts of Paul and Emeka Okafor, while remaining a Championship contender.)
Orlando Magic- Slight ChanceTalking heads seem to consider the Magic to be the most realistic option on this list, but they have already blown all their money on over-priced contracts that a rebuilding Hornets team should have no interest in. Jameer Nelson's 2yr/7mil contract seems like their most enticing trade chip, but why trade for a PG if you are going to hand over the reigns to Darren Collison? Using the ESPN Trade Machine, it seems impossible for the Magic to make an offer NO would accept. The best I can do is Rashard Lewis (3yr/19million), Mikael Pietrus (1yr/5million), Daniel Orton (2yr/1million) plus draft picks. I don't see how this helps NO, but Paul would agree to play with Dwight Howard regardless of who they trade away.
New York Knicks- No Chance Whatsoever
The Knicks can't take on Okafor's contract unless they are willing to take on Eddy Curry's, ha. The fact that New York is still in this conversation is actually hilarious to me and proves that Paul's "dream list" shouldn't be taken seriously.
Portland Trail Blazers- Slight Chance
Like the Hawks, the Blazers would have the ammo to make an enticing offer to NO, but would he really rather play in Portland than ATL? I don't see why he would. For Emeka/Paul, the Blazers could offer LaMarcus Aldridge (5yr/11mil), Andre Miller-trade bait? (2yr/7mil), Joel Przybilla (1yr/7mil), and Rudy Fernandez (1yr/1mil). This would give the Hornets roster flexibility and a key piece/face of the franchise in LaMarcus Aldridge, from the nearby Texas Longhorns. However, I think the Hawks could make a slightly better offer, which would leave them with a more enticing core than Brandon Roy/Greg Oden's knees.
Dallas Mavericks- Slight Chance
The Mavs have some legitimate trade chips, but they don't matchup well with what NO needs. The Hornets aren't taking back Tyson Chandler and his 1yr/12mil contract and they would have no need to Jason Kidd's 2yr/8mil contract with Darren Collison taking over. Excluding those two, the best the Mavs could offer is Caron Butler (1yr/10 mil), Jason Terry (2yr/9mil), and Ricky Bobby (1yr/1mil). I just don't see how this trade could possibly entice the Hornets.
Atlanta Hawks- Good chance
After losing Chris Paul, the Hornets biggest holes would be at shooting guard, small forward, and center. The Hawks can fill two of them with highly productive players with reasonable contracts, and would still remain a championship contender for Paul. The Hawks best offer would be Josh Smith (3yr/11mil), Jamal Crawford (1yr/10mil), and draft picks. Thanks to the Chilldress trade exception, that would be enough. According to Hollinger, the Hornets would only be losing 1 win if they did that trade. Meanwhile, the Hawks would have a starting lineup of Paul-JJ-Marvin-Horford-Emeka, which could absolutely compete with the Heat's unbalanced lineup.
Beyond the fact that the Hornets absolutely, under no circumstances, should trade Chris Paul, what am I missing? (I'm not asking if the ASG would go into the luxury tax, because they would for Paul, without a doubt.)
A FanPost expresses the opinion of the community member who wrote it and not that of the blog management.
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