Hornets’ trade of Paul to Clippers is off.

The Los Angeles Clippers rejected NBA commissioner David Stern’s steep demands to complete a trade forNew Orleans Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul, and talks of a blockbuster deal perished on Monday afternoon, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Sources didn’t preclude the talks from re-starting, but the Clippers weren’t willing to meet the NBA’s and Hornets’ demands for Paul, sources said.

While there’s been no official transition of power, general manager Dell Demps has been completely pushed to the side in deal-making decisions for the Hornets, multiple league sources told Y! Sports.

“He’s basically a spectator now,” one official said.

Stern has two of his top league office executives – Joel Litvin and Stu Jackson – making calls and conducting negotiations with teams interested in Paul. Demps is still making calls, but rival front offices and agents involved in possible deals with New Orleans say that he’s no longer authorized to decide on any transaction.

Teams interested in Paul have to send formal “bids” to the league office, sources said.

[Related: Lakers end Chris Paul trade, ship Lamar Odom to Mavs]

The league took over the Hornets in December and are angling to maintain value to sell the franchise for the highest possible price.

This circumstance is unprecedented in NBA history.

The Clippers and Hornets had been discussing a package for Paul that included players such as Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and a 2012 unprotected draft pick via the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Clippers resisted parting with Gordon, sources said. Management had been promising the talented young shooting guard that it would not include him in any deal to the Hornets for Paul, sources said.

Paul had expressed a desire to be moved to the Clippers, and the franchise would have had an excellent chance to sign him to an extension after he opts out of his current deal at the end of the 2011-’12 season, sources said.

The Los Angeles Times first reported that the two teams were on the verge of a deal.

Agents are finding it increasingly difficult to negotiate even minor deals with the Hornets’ front office. They’re struggling to get clear answers amid the belief that Demps doesn’t have the authority to make even minor signings to augment a depleted, non-NBA-caliber roster beyond the starting five.

“Stern has made them inoperable,” one prominent agent told Yahoo! Sports. “I’ve given up trying to do anything with them until the Paul situation is resolved. It’s very unfair to Dell. … Very unfair what the league is doing to him right now.”

- Written by Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo!

Chris Paul Trade Almost Complete.

Los Angeles' top motive? They get an All-NBA talent for a season, and a chance to woo and sign that All-NBA talent to a bigger deal than anyone else can next July. Paul will dominate the ball for a team that needs someone, in the wake of Baron Davis' stint with the Clippers, to dominate the ball the right way. And assuming Los Angeles matches Golden State's offer to restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers have a starting lineup and bench worth preparing the postseason for.

Of course, there are worries.

Again, this could be a rental. Paul could leave Los Angeles to go to any team that will take him on next July when his contract is up. He could chafe at playing for the decided step-sister in the Staples Center after nearly being traded twice to the Los Angeles Lakers, and his knee (which has been a concern for years) could hinder his abilities to dominate as he once did.

That's a knee on Chris Paul, though. Not on Mo Williams or even Bledsoe (who is out for two months with knee concerns, as reported before the trade was announced). The Clippers are taking a chance on it in exchange for what could be a top pick in next June's draft -- a tantalizing asset, no doubt, but one they'd have to wait on not only to draft but to develop.

Paul? He's done developed, ask any point guard in the league, and this was well worth the haul. Especially because the Clippers didn't have to depart with shooting guard Eric Gordon in the deal.

We can't blame Demps for failing to secure Gordon in the exchange, partially because the Minnesota pick is comparable, but mostly because Demps had absolutely no leverage. David Stern, in a misguided attempt to aid the team that the NBA owns, put the kibosh on a Paul deal last week that would have secured Demps several prime trading chips along with a young 20-point scorer in Kevin Martin; thus blowing to bits any chance New Orleans had at dangling Paul in the typical NBA manner.

The Hornets won't grab any 20-point scorers this time around (though a beefy frontline of Kaman andEmeka Okafor intrigues), but scoring that Minnesota pick is huge. By all accounts, the 2012 NBA draft is loaded, and it is arguable that Demps should have gone after this deal (as opposed to the Laker grab, which would have necessitated more deals from Demps to rid his team of older players) all along.

Credit Demps, in this regard. He may have threatened to retire on Thursday, when word came down from the NBA's office that Demps wasn't actually in charge of his own team, but he didn't bat an eye in securing what appears to be the best possible deal for New Orleans.

Now it's up to David Stern and the NBA to get their head out of the sand and realize as much.

Props to Yahoo!

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Kobe Upset Over Lamar Odom Trade

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The new-day, new-drama motif that has marked the opening of Los Angeles Lakers training camp continued Sunday as the team held its first media day since 2003 without Lamar Odom on the roster.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant did not take a wait-and-see approach before voicing his opinion of the deal that sent Odom, along with a 2012 second-round pick, to the Dallas Mavericksfor a $8.9 million trade exception, as well as Dallas' 2012 first-round pick.

He was quite clear that he was unhappy.

"I don't like it," Bryant said. "To be honest with you, I don't like it."

Odom was not present at the practice facility while his teammates spoke to reporters and posed for photos in their gold home jerseys.

Bryant didn't wait until it was official to speak about the trade.

"You're talking about the Sixth Man of the Year last year," Bryant said. "He played lights out. I don't understand the criticism of reality shows and this, that and the other. I don't get it. I don't understand that. He had his best season last season, clearly wasn't a distraction, and he played his ass off. I don't get where that comes from."

Late Saturday night, Odom's wife and reality TV co-star, Khloe Kardashian, tweeted, "I am curious as to how I am the cause for any trade?"

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle also spoke before the deal was completed on Sunday.

"Right now, for me, having Odom, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, we may have the best forward trio in this league right now. And that's exciting," Carlisle said. "Lamar Odom is a guy we have great respect for as a person and as an all-around player in this league. We feel he's going to add so many different dimensions for us -- length, playmaking, scoring, experience, championship experience."

As Bryant continued to answer questions about Odom joining the team that swept the Lakers out of the second round of the playoffs last spring, his anger grew.

"Now I'm getting pissed off," he said.

Bryant said he was "especially" upset about Odom joining the Mavs, who not only beat the Lakers, but beat them by 36 points in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals to put an end to the Phil Jackson era.

Bryant would not even call the Mavericks by name, instead referring to Dallas as "that team" on several occasions.

He did call the Mavericks owner by name, however.

"I don't think Mark Cuban is protesting this trade," Bryant said, adding a sarcastic smirk.

Odom, 32, averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game last season while shooting a career-high 53 percent from the field in his 12th season in the league.

While being honored as the league's top substitute for filling in for Pau Gasol at forward when Gasol needed a break, Odom also started 35 games, making up for Andrew Bynum in the starting five when the center was out because of injury or suspension.

"The identity of our team will have to change in terms of how we go about doing things," Bryant said. "You have to search for it and find what that is."

Odom was also a strong presence in the locker room and an emotional leader of the team.

"I've known Lamar for a long time and for the team itself, he's meant a lot in terms of his versatility and his personality," Bryant said. "He's a big presence for us in the locker room, just from a team chemistry standpoint. He's great at bringing guys together and things of that nature."

Lakers co-captain Derek Fisher echoed Bryant's thoughts.

"What more could he do?" Fisher said. "He's been asked to play a different role, maybe a lesser role than he'd play on a lesser team, and he did that. He did what he was asked to do, the team wins two championships, goes to another [NBA] Finals. As a basketball player, it confuses you as to what your focus should be. If your focus is … about making sacrifices, making less money, playing a lesser role to be a part of a championship team, it doesn't seem like the reward fits anymore.

"The reward is, when something else better comes along, you're going to be traded and pushed out. That's just not a message that you'd want a friend or a teammate to have to experience, but at the same time we know that's a part of what this business is now."

Bryant left the pack of reporters when he was done speaking and immediately made his way up a flight of stairs to general manager Mitch Kupchak's office.

While Bryant has been critical of Kupchak in the past, he offered his support Sunday.

"I trust management knows what they're doing," Bryant said. "I'll let them do their jobs and I'll never get in the way of it, but it's tough.

"You got to let Mitch do his job. Look, Mitch has proven himself over the course of the years that he's been able to build a great team here. We have to all trust that he's going to do that."

Bryant acknowledged the sentiment that the Odom deal might precede another move by Lakers management, perhaps to secure Dwight Howard from Orlando.

"Whether they have something else going on, that's on them to decide," Bryant said.

Lakers forward Matt Barnes, a former teammate of Howard's, said he has spoken to the Magic center about the trade speculation but would not characterize the talks as pitches to come to L.A.

"He has a tough decision to make," Barnes said. "There's teams pulling at him every way. We just have real talks, more than anything about him being a Laker. He's got to do what's best for him and his family and what makes him happy."

Bryant, however, said he has not spoken to Howard, who he played with on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, and would not entertain how the Lakers would look if the three-time Defensive Player of the Year was traded to L.A.

"If?" Bryant said. "If it happens, I'll give you my thoughts then."

- Written by Dave McMenamin from espn.com

NBA: Chris Paul To Clippers Deal Submitted to NBA.

The New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers submitted a multiplayer blockbuster deal to the NBA on Sunday that would send All-Star point guard Chris Paul to Los Angeles, a source with knowledge of the discussions said Monday.

But the trade as submitted has one hitch: The league, which owns the Hornets, wanted Eric Bledsoe, while the Clippers want to keep their point guard, the source said.

The deal would be done if the league hadn’t asked for Bledsoe, according to the source.

The trade as submitted would cost the Clippers guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman and forwardAl-Farouq Aminu. It would also include Minnesota’s first-round draft pick in 2012.

The Los Angeles Times, citing two sources familiar with the discussions, reported late Sunday the deal included Bledsoe, but the source told ESPN that is not so.

The Times’ report said both parties were in the final stages of negotiations and that the NBA will likely review the deal Monday.

A source close to Paul said he has decided to pick up the option on his contract as part of the potential deal, meaning he would be in Los Angeles through at least the 2012-2013 season.

Paul’s decision was what prompted the Clippers to put the pick they got from Minnesota in the deal, the source said.

The Clippers knew Paul was unlikely to sign an extension with any team that trades for him because the rules in place in the NBA’s new labor agreement make it more advantageous for top stars to play the season out and then sign a longer deal in free agency, even if they’re staying with the same team.

Sources told ESPN.com Sunday that the Clippers, in one scenario, merely wanted Paul to pick up the option at the time of the trade — thus delaying his free agency by one year — if they would cede one of their two most prized trade assets for Paul: Eric Gordon or a future No. 1 draft pick. 

In a similar situation in February, Mo Williams agreed to pick up his option for the 2011-12 season to clinch the Clippers’ deal with Cleveland that swapped Williams for Baron Davis. Sources said earlier Sunday that the Clippers — if Paul agreed to do the same — would be willing to reverse their previous stance and send either Gordon or the Minnesota pick to the Hornets because they’d know that Paul would be in place next to Griffin for at least two seasons, removing the threat of trading for Paul and then watching him leave in free agency in July. 

ESPN.com reported late Saturday that the Clippers had emerged as the “early front-runner” in the race to land Paul after the frustrated Lakers finally withdrew from three-team talks with the Hornets and Houston Rockets. One source close to the situation said early Sunday that New Orleans had asked the Clippers for Gordon, Kaman, Bledsoe, Aminu and at least two future first-round picks in exchange for Paul. 

Sources say that the Clippers, meanwhile, are quietly confident that having Paul for the next two seasons will ultimately lead to a long-term arrangement, especially if L.A. manages to sign Griffin to an extension next summer. ESPN.com reported earlier this week that Gordon and the Warriors’ Stephen Curry are the players most coveted by New Orleans in a potential Paul deal, but the Warriors have been pessimistic about getting the assurances about the future they need from Paul to surrender Curry.

 The Hornets remain under pressure to find a palatable deal for Paul, who can become a free agent in July 2012 and has already told the franchise that he does not intend to sign an extension. In addition to New Orleans’ natural desire to find a new home for Paul as quickly as possible to avoid the sort of soap opera that engulfed the Denver Nuggets last season until they traded Carmelo Anthony in February, league officials now technically in charge of the Hornets also know that the union has hinted at soon pursuing legal action on Paul’s behalf if a new trade is not hashed out.

 Paul spoke extensively with the union on Thursday, after Stern squashed the original three-team trade, about what legal options were available. The union planned to speak with Paul Sunday to gauge how he wants to go forward and how vigorously he may want to fight the league’s ruling, sources said.

 While Paul is despondent, sources say he also understands that a drawn-out battle with the league, whether in the courts or elsewhere, could lead to a heavy public backlash in New Orleans. But there is also a push within the union to sue the NBA if no trade is consummated by Monday, with possible claims of circumvention or collusion.

 New Orleans officials are likewise crestfallen by the NBA’s steady refusal to sign off on any trade construction presented by the Hornets, Rockets and Lakers that would have landed Paul in L.A. next to Kobe Bryant after NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the teams’ original trade Thursday.

 The Clippers, at least, remain a very plausible trade partner for Paul, given all the young assets possessed by the Lakers’ Staples Center co-tenants. Sources say that Aminu, Bledsoe and the expiring contract of Kaman are among the pieces that have been made available to New Orleans this week. 

Paul has known from the start that a trade to the Knicks was virtually impossible because of New York’s limited trade assets beyond star forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. The recent arrival of Tyson Chandler in free agency has enabled New York to offer a package centered around Stoudemire for Paul, but sources say that the league-owned Hornets have no interest in taking such a risk, given the fact that Stoudemire’s massive contract signed last summer with the Knicks could not be fully insured because of his longstanding knee troubles.

- Written by Chris Broussard from Espn.com

(Updated) Dwight Howard explains trade demands

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard's trade demand from the Orlando Magic is due in part to the organization not granting his requests for specific trades and signings over the last several years, the All-Star center said Sunday night.

Howard requested a trade during several meetings last week and has been given permission by the Magic to have contact with the New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers andDallas Mavericks. He went public with the demand Saturday and then followed that up with a strong explanation Sunday, referring to an eroding relationship with Magic general manager Otis Smith.

“

If you don't have a good relationship with the people you work with, how are you going to get better?

”-- Dwight Howard

"I'm pretty sure if you go down the line of teams, every GM has a pretty good relationship with not just the best player but all the players," Howard said. "If you don't have a good relationship with the people you work with, how are you going to get better?"

Orlando is not limiting its Howard trade talks to the three teams, sources close to the situation told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard on Monday. But while the Magic have opened up the talks, they are also holding out hope they can convince Howard, who has vacillated often on his desire to stay or go, to remain in Orlando, a source said.

The Magic would like Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol from the Lakers, but a source said the Lakers' offer was expected to be Bynum, the trade exceptions acquired in a Lamar Odomtrade to Dallas, and two draft picks.

The Nets would attempt to sign Gilbert Arenas if they are able to trade for Howard, a source close to situation told Broussard.

Smith has made several large trades over the last two years in an effort to strengthen the team around Howard before he hit free agency in 2012, trading for Vince Carter before the 2009-10 season and then trading for Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu during last season.

Howard said he pushed for other moves that were not made.

Two players Howard has expressed interest in getting within the past year to Smith wereStephen Jackson and Monta Ellis, sources close to the situation told Broussard.

"The stuff that I have asked for, the stuff I felt our team needed to get better, none of it has happened," Howard said. "That's not me being cocky but I want to be involved with the organization. I've been here for a long time, I don't want to sit around."

In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel Sunday night, Smith said he had consulted Howard on trades and other moves.

"When it's your best player, you really do consult your best player on everything? You do," Smith said. "So you consult your best player on free agency. You consult your best players on trades. And that's not uncommon. And I have done that."

Howard declined to be specific about what players he wanted the Magic to acquire but said they weren't all stars or high-salaried players.

"These weren't special guys, just guys I felt would be great for our team," Howard said. "It wasn't guys that would take us over the cap or anything like that. It was just guys that I felt would help us on the inside and the outside."

Smith acknowledged that Howard had come to him with suggestions over the years but he didn't make moves for various reasons.

"We looked at some; some we have, some we don't," Smith said. "So I'm not necessarily saying that he isn't accurate. I think that there was a list. Some of them are duplicate talent, which is something you can't do all the time. Some, quite frankly, are on your roster."

Howard and Smith have not spoken since last Tuesday, when he had a second meeting since the ending of the lockout and repeated his trade request. The silence seemed to be irking him as well.

"There was a good relationship then we haven't talked, we should still talk," Howard said. "I've been here for seven years. No matter what happens, we still should be able to talk. I don't know why, I don't know what happened. ... We've had long talks throughout the summer, very long talks. That's all I can tell you."

Howard has referenced talking to the Magic over the summer several times in recent days. It was permitted to talk to the team until July 1 before the lockout began. Teams were only permitted to start speaking to players again last Monday, when Howard first made his trade request.

The Magic's payroll for this season will approach $100 million, one of the highest in the NBA. Within the last week they have added to it by agreeing to more than $50 million in new deals to bring in veteran forward Glen Davis and re-sign guard Jason Richardson. But the other move the team made was to release Arenas via the amnesty clause, a move Howard was not in favor of.

Despite his displeasure, Howard said he didn't want Smith's job but rather the input other star players around the NBA have on personnel matters.

"I'm not a GM, I never said I wanted to be a GM," Howard said.

"What I said was I want to be involved. Everybody has a right to be involved. ... I should want to be involved. I should want to say 'hey, this is what we need, this is what we need to do.' If I didn't care, I wouldn't have said anything. Obviously I care enough about this team that I've asked them and I want to be involved. If you don't like something, you'd just walk away. If you want to be involved you'd do anything you can. If you don't get it, what do you do?"

Howard also said he felt he was being respectful to the organization by informing them to trade him now instead of losing him to free agency and get nothing in return. The franchise was devastated in 1996 when Shaquille O'Neal left the team via free agency.

"That's what I sat down with Otis and ownership and told them how I felt and I told them we should do it as quietly as possible," Howard said.

"I told them if something happens, I would never leave this organization high and dry like that and they understand that. This is a business and you have to do what is best for you at the end of the day."

- Written by Brian Windhorst from ESPN.com
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7343330/dwight-howard-orlando-magic-cites-poor-relationship-gm-reason-trade-demand