What Could’ve Been: A Chris Paul, Los Angeles Lakers Story
By Jeff Henning
A Dynasty Denied
Before elite point guard Chris Paul became the face of the faceless Los Angeles Clippers, he was for a breif minute, a Los Angeles Laker. In 2011, after the last NBA lockout, there was a 3-team deal in the works that would’ve sent Paul to the Lakers and a Kobe Bryant just beginning to enter the twilight of his career. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom would’ve been sent to the Houston Rockets, and the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans would’ve received an entire team essentially, including Goran Dragic, Kevin Martin, and Luis Scola.
As the story goes, the deal was nixed by the NBA, who also held controlling interest in the New Orleans franchise at the time. The trade was disallowed for what were described as ‘basketball reasons.’ At the time, several owners pleaded to Stern about the absurdity of the deal, including outspoken Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. After cutting the chord on the Lakers for Paul, the NBA accepted a trade with the Clippers for Paul just one week later. The NBA received harsh criticism for their handling in this affair and with good reason.
Lets compare the deals:
Vetoed Deal-
Lakers Receive: Chris Paul
Rockets Receive: Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom
Hornets Receive: Goran Dragic, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, 2012 1st Round Pick (via NYK)- Royce White
Accepted Deal-
Clippers Receive: Chris Paul, 2 2nd Round Picks
Hornets Receive: Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, 2012 1st Round Pick (via Minnesota)- Austin Rivers
Make no mistake about this entire situation, the Lakers offer for Paul was by far the better deal. Goran Dragic is the best player from either deal not named Chris Paul. Even though at the time Eric Gordon was considered by many insiders to be the next superstar in the making, there’s no question I would’ve taken Kevin Martin and Luis Scola over Kaman, Aminu, and Austin Rivers who now plays for the Clippers.
The original deal not only benefitted the Hornets, but it also gave the Rockets a much needed boost. Unable to find a productive replacement for Yao Ming, the Rockets obviously saw great benefit in a return of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Gasol was a legitimate scoring option at the time, and Odom would’ve provided depth and championship experience in the front court.
The real problem with this trade was the inevitability that came with it. A lockout was ending and tensions were high about fairness and league wide parity. Had Paul gone to the Lakers, their trajectory would’ve been much different from the state this franchise is in now. The Los Angeles Lakers are a true basketball dynasty, like the Yankees in baseball and the Canadiens in hockey. If this deal had been 2 years earlier, perhaps when Lebron James was still in Cleveland, owners such as Dan Gilbert wouldn’t have bawled so hard about small market teams losing superstar players.
In true hollywood fashion, the vetoed deal wasn’t the NBA had in the works for the Lakers. Sending Paul to the Clippers, the team who shares the arena where the Laker’s banners hang was the ultimate insult. In 2011, the Clippers were more or less a small market team who just happened to be in a large market region. Paul’s effect was immediate on the Clippers, a team that failed to win more than 32 games the 3 seasons prior to Paul’s arrival. Now, in 2016, the Clippers are Los Angeles’s best team and that’s bittersweet thing. Doc Rivers is a great basketball mind and has raised the profile of Clippers basketball. New owner Steve Ballmer could extend the Clippers brand further than it’s ever been before and all of this at the cost of the Lakers, the dynasty the NBA didn’t want in 2011.