Woj: Are Hornets and Magic racing to cut deal with Lakers first?

[Dash]

When Dell Demps was hired as the New Orleans Hornets general manager, his plane landed at the city’s airport in the summer of 2010, and he stepped into the terminal with his bags, folders and the thrill of running his own franchise. He walked into the gate area, peered toward a television and squinted his eyes to read the bottom scroll on the screen. Chris Paul wants a trade, it read.

 

“Welcome to New Orleans,” Demps would tell himself.

 

For everything he’s done to try to make Paul want to stay with the Hornets, Demps has always understood it was the most improbable resolution. The Hornets had no owner, no second star and no leverage to push back the momentum of other superstar players fleeing small markets for the bright lights, big city. The owners have made it more costly in the new collective bargaining talks for stars to leave, but the NBA can’t stop the magnet to the metropolises, and never will.

 

So Demps made the call on Wednesday to Paul’s agent, and there was no surprise: He was told that Paul wouldn’t be signing a new contract with the Hornets, that New York was his preferred destination and that ultimately a trade benefitted everyone. Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith is still awaiting confirmation from Dwight Howard that this will be Howard’s exit strategy, too. Demps never had a chance with Paul. The Hornets have payroll constraints, an archaic arena and literally no ownership. Smith had every chance: a committed owner, a league-high payroll and a sparking new arena.

 

In a lot of ways, the Hornets and Orlando Magic are in a race to make a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers for Paul and Howard. They’re running so many scenarios across the big boards in their offices, but make no mistake: Los Angeles is the port that can entice Paul and Howard to sign extensions, with the one player – young center Andrew Bynum – as a centerpiece that can justify the trade.

 

The Lakers and Hornets talked several days ago, league sources told Yahoo! Sports, but it was one of those circuitous conversations that left the sides unclear what it would take to get a deal done, and the talk ended with no formal offers. The Lakers and Hornets expect to speak again this week, sources said. The prospect of Pau Gasol as the primary player going to the Hornets won’t be acceptable, sources said. The Lakers will ultimately be willing to let New Orleans pick its player in the deal – Bynum or Gasol – but New Orleans is determined to get quality, and quantity, in a deal.

 

Bynum has privately been heard to say this offseason that he wants his own team, and the chances of him getting that – in New Orleans or Orlando – have never been higher. Years ago, Kobe Bryant wanted Bynum moved for Jason Kidd, but Bryant’s been insistent all summer that he still believes in this core, isn’t interested in wholesale change.

 

Bryant isn’t anti-Dwight Howard, but he could see like everyone else: The Lakers need speed, athleticism and younger legs on the perimeter. Los Angeles could do little to stop Paul in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, and that’ll only became a deeper issue this season and beyond. Nevertheless, through trades they’ve made and not made, through the hiring of their new coach, the Lakers have made it clear they don’t go to Bryant for his blessing.

 

In a shortened season, significant change can be risky, but it’s hard to believe these Lakers don’t need some boldness to become champions again. The Lakers could still revisit Lamar Odom for Andre Iguodala, which would give them a superior athletic wing presence to make defending easier for Bryant and Ron Artest.

 

For now, it is Paul on the market. Howard’s on deck. The New Jersey Nets will have a package of Brook Lopez and picks available for the Magic, enticing Howard with Deron Williams and a new Brooklyn arena to call his own. What’s more, the Chicago Bulls are still a sleeper for Howard, several league executives believe. “Chicago may tell Orlando to take any two players – or three – besides [Derrick] Rose,” one GM said. Howard isn’t keen on the cold weather, but the Bulls would have the best point guard-center combination since Magic and Kareem.

 

The Bulls have Omar Asik developing fast as a potential replacement for Joakim Noah should the Bulls include Noah in a package. Noah would have to be a part of it, but would a combination of Noah and Luol Deng or Carlos Boozer – bringing back Howard and one of those bad Orlando contracts – be enough? The Magic need a force to replace Howard, an anchor.

 

The NBA and Players Association still haven’t signed the new labor agreement, and the league has still reset to where it was before the lockout. Another year, another hostage standoff. Feel free to gripe over the small markets losing star players, but the NBA has no one to blame but itself for Paul wanting to leave. He’s been immersed in that community, and desperately wanted it to work there. He’s a small-town North Carolina kid, but he’s been honest about it. New Orleans will make the deal that the Cleveland Cavaliers never had the notice to make for themselves.

 

During LeBron James’ last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cavs had incredible fear he would leave as a free agent. They had no choice but to privately discuss the possibility of getting an unprecedented package for trading him. Yet, it didn’t take long to internally decide that even if he did plan to leave, Cavs officials didn’t want to be remembered as the management team who traded LeBron James away.

 

Even if the Cavs had painfully accurate information on his plans to exit, they still couldn’t do it. After all, James could’ve simply said, “Hey, I was never going to leave. They traded me.” And he would’ve been out of harm’s way forever in Cleveland. Carmelo Anthony made the Denver Nuggets’ life miserable after his trade demand, because his bad practice and shooting habits became worse a year ago. That was a long four months in Denver, and the Nuggets couldn’t wait until he walked out the door to the Knicks.

 

With Paul, that won’t happen in New Orleans. The Hornets don’t want a long soap-opera season, and that’s why Demps won’t waste time trying to sell Paul on staying until the trade deadline. Paul will probably let Demps know his intentions face-to-face, possibly as soon as Monday, and the GM will be right back on the phone searching out a deal. It probably won’t be long until Howard makes himself completely clear too: Get me out, send me West.

 

In the end, the Magic and Hornets will be searching for teams that can satisfy Paul’s and Howard’s desire for a championship contender, and that list is painfully short when you consider those with the players and assets to fulfill the return on the trade. It won’t be New York, but 3,000 miles away, in Los Angeles, where the Lakers are forever searching for a twentysomething star to be the next in line, where the race to trade Chris Paul and Dwight Howard for a package centered around Andrew Bynum has all but officially started.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AsVJghAI0Tx613logV1qvQO8vLYF?slug=aw-wojnarowski_chris_paul_dwight_howard_lakers_120511

[magicbalala245]

Damn I thought Howard was only a possibility. But since New Orleans and Lakers had already engage in talks even though nothing came out of it must of been enough to keep on talking this week dealing with Chris Paul. Still I want Dwight before Chris Paul. You can go further in this league with a dominate center in the paint. As history has shown Shaq-Kobe did it. I'm positively sure Kobe-Dwight can do it again if they were to unite. But smart on New Orleans part to try to pry away Bynum away from Orlando to get some value back from Chris Paul.

[Real Deal]

Make no mistake, the Lakers will deal anyone and everyone on the roster, aside from Kobe Bryant, to get Dwight Howard and CP3 on this team, teaming them with KB.

 

It's kind of funny. About three years ago, when some of us were entertaining the idea that Howard would eventually play in Los Angeles, we had talked about CP3 or D-Will getting with him, teaming with Bryant for a huge run of championships.

 

Of course, this was probably around the 2008 loss, if I recall correctly, so while we didn't really know we would win the next two championships, we still had a feeling that LA would do what it takes to get it done.

 

Funny enough, back in 2006 or 2007, we had a topic over at Clublakers, and it was for Ron Artest. I think it was one of the largest topics I've ever seen. We wanted him BADLY, and most of us had this hunch that, someday, we would get him. He seemed to hate Kobe, he thought he was a rap artist, and he loved the city. Basically, he was destined to be here.

 

While I wish we had Ariza back, there's no doubt in my mind that Artest was better for us in 2010. No doubt.

 

Our front office usually makes the right moves, even when they give out contracts that are a bit too large, sometimes...and the fact is, the Buss family will push the buttons on their phones until their fingers bleed, if they truly need a player (or a group of guys).

 

If someone told me that we could trade Gasol for CP3, and Drew for Howard...I'm all in, don't care about our past success with Pau and Drew.

 

Seems unreal, though. I have a hard time believing all of the chips can fall into place, at that magnitude. Maybe one of the two, but not both CP3 and Howard.

[magicbalala245]

Real Deal only problem is Hornets don't want Gasol as the main chip if they do a trade for CP3 as stated in the article Hornets already said no and Lakers will only let have New Orleans have one of them by either picking Bynum or Gasol. Both teams want Bynum because make no mistake about it Gasol is soft I'm sorry don't care he won two titles but the guy is soft. I doubt we are getting both CP3 and Howard. My bet is we are getting Howard for Bynum + Odom with draft picks and cash as Matt Barnes let it be known that Dwight wants to be a Laker.

[Real Deal]

Real Deal only problem is Hornets don't want Gasol as the main chip if they do a trade for CP3 as stated in the article Hornets already said no and Lakers will only let have New Orleans have one of them by either picking Bynum or Gasol. Both teams want Bynum because make no mistake about it Gasol is soft I'm sorry don't care he won two titles but the guy is soft. I doubt we are getting both CP3 and Howard. My bet is we are getting Howard for Bynum + Odom with draft picks and cash as Matt Barnes let it be known that Dwight wants to be a Laker.

Ah, I must have read something in the article wrong. I was under the impression that the Hornets would consider Gasol.

 

Really, it doesn't matter to me. I just want Dwight on this team. The Hornets can keep CP3.

[Lkr]

Real Deal only problem is Hornets don't want Gasol as the main chip if they do a trade for CP3 as stated in the article Hornets already said no and Lakers will only let have New Orleans have one of them by either picking Bynum or Gasol. Both teams want Bynum because make no mistake about it Gasol is soft I'm sorry don't care he won two titles but the guy is soft. I doubt we are getting both CP3 and Howard. My bet is we are getting Howard for Bynum + Odom with draft picks and cash as Matt Barnes let it be known that Dwight wants to be a Laker.

Is it a certainty that Orlando won't take Gasol and Odom? I don't see any reason for complaints about Gasol being soft when the next best offer features Brook Lopez, who isn't exactly not soft...

[magicbalala245]

Is it a certainty that Orlando won't take Gasol and Odom? I don't see any reason for complaints about Gasol being soft when the next best offer features Brook Lopez, who isn't exactly not soft...

 

The wildly speculation is they want Bynum more then Pau is because even though injury prone Bynum is a bigger guy and tougher guy in the paint then Gasol no doubt is younger then Gasol which means more years to build around him and sky is potential with Bynum as we seen when healthy this guy is the second best center in the league. Orlando would not want to build around a 31 year old who pretty much has reached his potential which is just a good robin over a young center in Bynum who is 2 years younger then Dwight at age 24 years old and being the second best center in the league when healthy and is 3rd in the pecking order as of getting shots going through Kobe, and Pau please this is a no brainer Orlando rather work with Bynum then a Pau who has reached his limits in this league.

[magicbalala245]

Guys I will try to look for a podcast ASAP but a member name fido from The Lakers Nation just heard Marc Stein on radio in ESPN Los Angeles said it is more likely than not that Dwight will be dealt and be a Laker before season and also said Orlando does not want to deal with the "what about Dwight" questions all year long. So far the Lakers' offer of Odom and Bynum for Dwight and Turkoglu is clearly the best offer out there that can get the magic playing at a playoff level right away. If they were to enter rebuilding they'd want to now before the season, and get other players in the fold sooner rather than later.