Lakers’ Pursuit of Paul Falls Through Again
By HOWARD BECK and MARK HEISLER
Published: December 10, 2011
The Los Angeles Lakers, frustrated in their pursuit of Chris Paul, withdrew from three-team trade talks late Saturday night and turned their focus toward a larger target: Dwight Howard.
Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
The N.B.A directed the Hornets to get a package for Chris Paul that included younger players and draft picks.
Keep up with the latest news, on the court and off, with The Times's basketball blog.
Attempts to acquire Paul from theNew Orleans Hornets ended when the Lakers refused to meet the demands set by the N.B.A., which owns the Hornets franchise. The league wanted the Lakers to surrender draft picks and young players, likely including Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ promising center.
But the Lakers need Bynum, either to serve as a franchise cornerstone, or to be used as the main chip in a trade for Howard, the Orlando Magic center, who is asking to be traded.
When the Lakers balked, the three-team deal with the Hornets and the Houston Rockets fell apart.
“The Lakers have pulled out,” a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said around 11:30 p.m.
With the Paul talks over, the Lakers agreed to send Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for a large trade exception. The exception could be used in a deal for Howard, allowing the Lakers to take back another contract, possibly Hedo Turkoglu’s.
The Lakers will also receive the Mavericks’ 2012 first-round pick, among other considerations, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Otis Smith, the Magic general manager, made Howard’s trade request public Saturday, in an interview with The Orlando Sentinel. Howard has listed the Lakers, the Nets and the Mavericks as his preferred teams.
Having already given Howard’s agent, Dan Fegan, permission to talk to the teams, Smith said the Magic were open to offers.
“We wouldn’t be who we are if we don’t take a look around all 29 teams and try to make the best deal for the Orlando Magic,” Smith said.
The Lakers could offer Orlando a package built around Bynum and Pau Gasol, their All-Star forward. The Nets are ready to trade Brook Lopez, their budding young center, and two first-round draft picks.
Howard dropped hints about the Lakers before increasing scrutiny obliged him to adopt a neutral position last season, claiming that his preference was to stay in Orlando. Various news reports Saturday indicated that his first choice was the Nets.
On the other hand, last season, Carmelo Anthony’s representatives spent months dropping hints about his Brooklyn roots and his desire to play for the Nets before the Knicks gave the Denver Nuggets four rotation players for him.
The Nets have the All-Star point guard Deron Williams, are scheduled to play in Brooklyn next season and are backed by the owner Mikhail D. Prokhorov’s fortune. Williams and Howard can each opt out of their contracts next summer, or they could convince each other to stay.
The Lakers, the Hornets and the Rockets had been trying for two days to arrange a new deal after Commissioner David Stern vetoed their first attempt Thursday night. Under that proposal, the Hornets would have received Odom, along with three Rockets players — Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic — plus a 2012 first-round pick belonging to the Knicks. Houston would have received Gasol.
Although the Hornets’ front office approved the trade, it was overruled by Stern and his basketball advisors in the league office, who considered the return package insufficient. A number of rival owners — most notably Cleveland’s Dan Gilbert — were also furious with the deal.
Speaking for his fellow owners, Gilbert excoriated the Paul trade in a letter to Stern and others on Thursday, asking, “When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?”
The N.B.A. purchased the Hornets in 2010 from George Shinn, after he gave up trying to find a local buyer. The franchise was losing millions annually, a price that Shinn no longer wanted to pay.
That means that Stern is in the awkward position of serving as both commissioner and caretaker of the Hornets. League officials are concerned for both the Hornets’ future and for the franchise’s resale value. They are insisting that any deal for Paul include young talent and draft picks, to help the franchise rebuild for the long term.
Odom, Scola and Martin are high-caliber players, but all are between 28 and 32 years old.
Paul’s fate is now uncertain. He has informed the Hornets that he intends to opt out of his contract next summer and wants to be traded now, preferably to a big market. The Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics had previously attempted to acquire Paul and are expected to renew their efforts.
The Los Angeles Lakers, frustrated in their pursuit of Chris Paul, withdrew from three-team trade talks late Saturday night and turned their focus toward a larger target: Dwight Howard.
Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
The N.B.A directed the Hornets to get a package for Chris Paul that included younger players and draft picks.
Keep up with the latest news, on the court and off, with The Times's basketball blog.
Attempts to acquire Paul from theNew Orleans Hornets ended when the Lakers refused to meet the demands set by the N.B.A., which owns the Hornets franchise. The league wanted the Lakers to surrender draft picks and young players, likely including Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ promising center.
But the Lakers need Bynum, either to serve as a franchise cornerstone, or to be used as the main chip in a trade for Howard, the Orlando Magic center, who is asking to be traded.
When the Lakers balked, the three-team deal with the Hornets and the Houston Rockets fell apart.
“The Lakers have pulled out,” a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said around 11:30 p.m.
With the Paul talks over, the Lakers agreed to send Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks, in exchange for a large trade exception. The exception could be used in a deal for Howard, allowing the Lakers to take back another contract, possibly Hedo Turkoglu’s.
The Lakers will also receive the Mavericks’ 2012 first-round pick, among other considerations, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Otis Smith, the Magic general manager, made Howard’s trade request public Saturday, in an interview with The Orlando Sentinel. Howard has listed the Lakers, the Nets and the Mavericks as his preferred teams.
Having already given Howard’s agent, Dan Fegan, permission to talk to the teams, Smith said the Magic were open to offers.
“We wouldn’t be who we are if we don’t take a look around all 29 teams and try to make the best deal for the Orlando Magic,” Smith said.
The Lakers could offer Orlando a package built around Bynum and Pau Gasol, their All-Star forward. The Nets are ready to trade Brook Lopez, their budding young center, and two first-round draft picks.
Howard dropped hints about the Lakers before increasing scrutiny obliged him to adopt a neutral position last season, claiming that his preference was to stay in Orlando. Various news reports Saturday indicated that his first choice was the Nets.
On the other hand, last season, Carmelo Anthony’s representatives spent months dropping hints about his Brooklyn roots and his desire to play for the Nets before the Knicks gave the Denver Nuggets four rotation players for him.
The Nets have the All-Star point guard Deron Williams, are scheduled to play in Brooklyn next season and are backed by the owner Mikhail D. Prokhorov’s fortune. Williams and Howard can each opt out of their contracts next summer, or they could convince each other to stay.
The Lakers, the Hornets and the Rockets had been trying for two days to arrange a new deal after Commissioner David Stern vetoed their first attempt Thursday night. Under that proposal, the Hornets would have received Odom, along with three Rockets players — Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic — plus a 2012 first-round pick belonging to the Knicks. Houston would have received Gasol.
Although the Hornets’ front office approved the trade, it was overruled by Stern and his basketball advisors in the league office, who considered the return package insufficient. A number of rival owners — most notably Cleveland’s Dan Gilbert — were also furious with the deal.
Speaking for his fellow owners, Gilbert excoriated the Paul trade in a letter to Stern and others on Thursday, asking, “When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?”
The N.B.A. purchased the Hornets in 2010 from George Shinn, after he gave up trying to find a local buyer. The franchise was losing millions annually, a price that Shinn no longer wanted to pay.
That means that Stern is in the awkward position of serving as both commissioner and caretaker of the Hornets. League officials are concerned for both the Hornets’ future and for the franchise’s resale value. They are insisting that any deal for Paul include young talent and draft picks, to help the franchise rebuild for the long term.
Odom, Scola and Martin are high-caliber players, but all are between 28 and 32 years old.
Paul’s fate is now uncertain. He has informed the Hornets that he intends to opt out of his contract next summer and wants to be traded now, preferably to a big market. The Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics had previously attempted to acquire Paul and are expected to renew their efforts.
