Trade negotiations for the The New Orleans Pelicans are a hot topic these days. The Brandon Ingram saga will either play out with a trade or a contract extension for the former All-Star. New Orleans is no stranger to trading an All-Star caliber player, such as the failed Chris Paul trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. HoopsHype List of the biggest trades that almost happened in NBA history.

What made the trade scenario so bizarre at the time was that the then-famous Hornets were operating without an owner at the time. Former owner George Shinn attempted to sell his majority stake in the team, but negotiations stalled and the deal did not happen. Shinn was unable to continue to financially manage the Hornets, so the NBA stepped in to purchase the team and run it while they searched for a local owner to keep the team in New Orleans.

At that time, their star Chris Paul’s future in New Orleans was uncertain after he did not sign an extension with the team. New Orleans was looking for a trade partner to recoup the assets of the franchise’s best player at the time. The Hornets appeared to have a trade partner with the Lakers and details of a trade were announced.

“In December of that year, a trade was announced that sent Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a three-team deal with the Houston Rockets, which was, in effect, a package that included Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Hours later, however, then-NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal, citing “basketball reasons.”

The “basketball reasons” were never explained, but coincidentally, the Hornets found a trade partner with Los Angeles’ other team, the Clippers. Paul was traded to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and the 10th pick who would later become Austin Rivers.

Paul’s failed trade to the Lakers seemed to change much of what NBA history could have been. The duo of the former Hornets star point guard and five-time champion Kobe Bryant was considered the league’s next unstoppable duo. As it turned out, Bryant never made another NBA Finals appearance and Paul never advanced past the second round of the playoffs with the Clippers.

The former Wake Forest star is still looking for his first NBA title. He came close in 2021 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. That team advanced to the Finals and led 2-0 against the Milwaukee Bucks before dropping the next four games and losing. Paul is currently a member of the San Antonio Spurs in his 20th NBA season.

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