Warriors, Clippers, Celtics lead race for Chris Paul @ The Fan Hub

December 6th, 2011 10:48 PM

New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul (3) is guarded by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during second half at the New Orleans Arena. The Hornets defeated the Warriors 108-102. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

According to SI.com’s Sam Amick, the pursuit of New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul has become a three-horse race between the Clippers, Celtics, and Warriors. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoosports.com reported earlier today that CP3 indicated the Clippers could improve their chances of signing him long-term if they also were to sign Tyson Chandler to a long-term deal as well.

As Amick writes, while the Lakers, Mavericks, and Rockets are also hot in pursuit, Hornets GM Dell Demps is “coveting the sort of young pieces those teams lack.” If it’s young talent the Hornets want, then there is no better fit than the Golden State Warriors. They are still below the salary cap, which means they could also add one of the marquee free agents like Nene on a four-year max deal and use their amnesty clause on Andris Biedrins, who is due to make $9 million a year for the next three seasons, thus clearing up the needed cap space for Paul. Point guard Stephen Curry, power forward Ekpe Udoh, Klay Thompson, and Jeremy Lin are all on rookie contracts and would would give the Hornets assets to go out and perhaps acquire other pieces, like strong 2 guard to pair with Curry. Not mention with the addition of coach Mark Jackson and the hype in the Bay Area, it would make for an electric atmosphere in Oracle Arena, which is still one of the few home court advantages in the NBA.

Will Eric Gordon be sent to N.O in a Paul deal?

While some think the obvious choice would the Clippers with the mountain of young talent they have (and watching CP3 toss lobs to Blake Griffin is reason enough to consummate the trade in Clippers fans’ eyes) there have been conflicting reports on whether the Clippers have or will offer up Eric Gordon as a trade chip. The Clippers are safely under the cap, but it is likely they will use much of their excess to extend DeAndre Jordan, who is most likely looking at big pay day.

Meanwhile, the Celtics really only have two cards to play: Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green. According to Amick, “the Celtics have reportedly changed their stance on whether they’d require a long-term commitment before trading for Paul.” However, other reports have said that this is still a prerequisite (as it should be — see Deron William’s situation in New Jersey for proof) for any deal involving Paul. Of all the teams in pursuit of him, Boston has the least leverage. While they might have the best player to offer New Orleans in Rondo, they have a bloated payroll with precisely zero cap flexibility, and only Jeff Green as another trade asset.

These teams suggest a paradigm shift in the the Hornets thinking. They are not looking to jettison Paul for older players with expiring contracts in the near future, but will use the Chris Paul trade to try and find one or two younger established players around which to rebuild the franchise.

— Dave Jacober

Read the original post from si.com