The NBA has released their official statement regarding the trade of All-Star point guard Chris Paul from the league-owned New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Clippers, putting an end to the trade rumor hullabaloo once and for all.
Hornets Chairman Jac Sperling had this to say about making the trade with Los Angeles, and not the Los Angeles team that was once though as his destination.
"We wanted to make sure that we got the best possible deal for a player of Chris' caliber, and we feel great about the outcome," Hornets Chairman and Governor Jac Sperling said. "We feel our future looks very bright and we look forward to continue to create an organization that New Orleans will be proud of. We want to thank Chris Paul, an extraordinary person who contributed so greatly to our basketball team and our community. We wish him the best of luck."
In the workings of the deal the Hornets would receive forward Al-Farouq Aminu, guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman and the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2012 unprotected first round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Chris Paul and two 2015 second round picks round picks. And all-in-all, Hornets general manager Dell Demps is happy with the talent he received in return:
"With this trade, we now have three additional players who were among the top eight draft picks in their respective drafts as well as our own first round pick and Minnesota's first round pick. Aminu is a young talent with a bright future, Gordon is a big time scorer and one of the best two guards in the league and Kaman is a proven center and former All-Star. Combined with our other players, we will field a competitive team and our future looks great."
Maybe these two will find themselves locking horns this summer in the playoffs, but until then, we can only look towards Thursday March 22, Monday March 26, and Sunday April 22; the three regular season matchups the Clips have with the Hornets this year. The two later games will be televised on NBA TV. Mark it down.
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