The Los Angeles Clippers are now emerging as the favorites to try and land Chris Paul. They've made one of the most generous deals out there so far to hand the New Orleans Hornets their best chance at landing the best point guard in the BNA.
Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Eric Bledsoe, Al-Farouq Aminu and two first round picks (including the one from the Minnesota Timberwolves) has been the circulated rumor going around. But for the Clippers to be willing to part with the picks, they seem to need assurance that Paul will stay in New Orleans beyond this first year.
Apparently CP3 is willing to make that sacrifice. Ric Bucher has more.
@RicBucher
Ric Bucher Clarification: noted LAC would need CP3 long-term to include Minn 1st. Long term is opting in for the 12-13 season. which i'm told he will.
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It's a calculated risk for Paul; if he gets injured on this deal, he could lose out on a great deal of money. But if he doesn't agree to the player option and get an extra season of CP3 and Blake Griffin paired together, it'll be hard for teams like the Clippers to want to give up that much to land him. And without those extra assets, the Hornets might not be willing to make that trade.
The saga continues to unfold as the Clippers try to make the biggest acquisition in franchise history.
To discuss the possibility of Paul and Clippers, head to Clips Nation. To talk about the players the Hornets would get out of this deal, check out At The Hive.