Hornets ship Chris Paul to Clippers in multi-player trade

By Paul Levine Dec 15, 2011, 6:23 GMT

Los Angeles - The saga is over, Chris Paul is leaving the Hive and finally heading to Hollywood.

The league-owned New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night shipped Paul along with two 2015 second-round picks to the LA Clippers in a multi-player trade.

In exchange for the four-time All-Star point guard, the Hornets are to receive shooting guard Eric Gordon, veteran centre Chris Kaman, and forward Al-Farouq Aminu, Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick.

'Today is a big day for the New Orleans Hornets,' team general Dell Demps told reporters via conference call. 'It's bittersweet because we're saying goodbye to Chris Paul.

'He will be sorely missed, but on the sweet part the future is bright. We're bringing in some young players who are going to be hard-playing and exciting.'

After rejecting a trade to send Paul to the LA Lakers last week, NBA commissioner David Stern signed off on this one.

'The proposed transaction is a very good transaction,' Stern said. It was 'better for the Hornets and their future in New Orleans than the transaction that I did not sign off four business days ago.'

Stern vetoed a trade Thursday night that would have sent Paul to the LA Lakers as the centrepiece of a blockbuster three-team trade with the Hornets and the Houston Rockets.

New Orleans would have received reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom and a draft pick from the Lakers along with Houston's Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Goran Dragic. In turn, the Rockets would have acquired Pau Gasol from the Lakers.

The Lakers called off an attempt to rework the deal Saturday night, saying the Hornets were asking too much for Paul.

The Clippers emerged as the favourite to land Paul, but pulled out of discussions on Monday calling it 'too steep' when the Hornets insisted Gordon be part of the package.

After claiming veteran point guard Chauncey Billups off amnesty waivers from the New York Knicks Tuesday, it was widely thought the move would clear the way for the Clippers to sweeten their offer for Paul by including second year guard Eric Bledsoe.

The deal was reworked, the Clippers instead added Gordon to the Hornets' liking and both sides came to an agreement.

'Dell was trying to get the most that was possible,' Stern said. 'I know there was some criticism of the Hornets for seeking too much in Gordon and a first round pick.

'At the end of the day for a player of Chris Paul's caliber it wasn't too much' for the Clippers, he said.

Paul's two-year pact with the Clippers will team him up with rising star and NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin to form one of the league's fiercest duos.

The long-time laughing stocks of the league (four playoff appearances since moving to LA in 1984), the Clippers are now ready to win over LA from Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, and take a shot at Western Conference supremacy.

'How about the turn of events in LA,' TNT analyst Steve Kerr told NBA TV. 'The Lakers thought they were getting Chris Paul, now the Clippers are poised to take over that town.

'You get CP, put him together with BG, it's going to be a show. It's going to be so much fun to watch.'

Although the Hornets part ways with Paul, who has averaged 18.7 points, 9.9 assists and 2.4 steals over 425 career games, they are adding several young pieces to their roster.

'Aminu is a young talent with a bright future, Gordon is a big-time scorer and one of the best two guards in the league, and Kaman is a proven centre and former All-Star,' Demps said.

A third year guard, Gordon had a banner season in 2010-11, averaging 22.3 points and 4.4 assists per game.

Slowed by a left ankle injury, Kaman had an off season, but the eight-year veteran still managed to put up averages of 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. Aminu averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 81 games in his rookie season.

Gordon was disappointed to find out he was on the move.

'It's kind of tough to swallow, but I'm a basketball player,' he said. ''I have to move on and have no hard feelings about it.'

Elsewhere: The Chicago Bulls signed veteran guard Richard Hamilton, one day after being waived by the Detroit Pistons. The Cleveland Cavaliers waived Baron Davis, designating the 12-year veteran guard as the team's amnesty player.

That means the Cavs will pay him the remainder of his contract, but it will not count against the team's salary cap total.