Chris Paul's agent has reportedly told the New Orleans Hornets that the All-Star guard will not sign a contract extension with the team, and would like to be traded to the New York Knicks to play with friends Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. There's just one problem: the Knicks have almost nothing to offer the Hornets in such an exchange.
That will be a problem for Hornets GM Dell Demps, who surely realizes that CP3 is one of the few truly elite players in the game and that without him New Orleans is destined for the lottery. (Some evidence of that can be found in the Hornets' lack of success in seasons during which Paul was limited by injury compared to the seasons in which he's been almost fully available.)
Other teams will be willing and able to offer much better packages than the Knicks, who beyond Melo and Amar'e have players like Chauncey Billups, Toney Douglas, Iman Shumpert, Landry Fields and Jerome Jordan. (Why do I hear crickets?) The Knicks also can't trade any future first-round picks before 2018. Yes, 2018.
But if Paul won't agree to consider an extension anywhere else -- in L.A. with the Clippers, in Sacramento with the Kings, in Portland with the Blazers, in Oklahoma City with the Thunder -- Demps will be stuck.
Given that the NBA still owns the Hornets, this is a mighty sticky situation. The Knicks could help their cause by finding a way to acquire some tradable assets pronto.
There are 2 Comments. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.