On December 9, 2011, the Los Angeles Lakers found out that their recent blockbuster trade to land Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets had been vetoed by NBA Commissioner David Stern, who was acting on behalf of the Governors in vetoing the trade after the Hornets franchise came under league control prior to a change in ownership.
The trade taking Paul to the Lakers was a three-team affair including the Houston Rockets as well which would have ended up splitting the Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol duo in LA.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Chris Paul
Houston Rockets Receive: Paul Gasol
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, 2012 First-Round Pick (HOU)
This deal would have created an incredible team in Los Angeles, with 27-year-old Paul joining the Lakers in his prime to create a superstar backcourt for the Lakers which could have given Kobe a few more years of contention atop the NBA.
Unfortunately, Stern’s intervention meant that Paul would later be traded to the rival Los Angeles Clippers, ushering in the most successful era of the franchise with Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan forming the iconic ‘Lob City’ Clippers.
Stern’s decision as the de-facto owner of the Hornets at the time has been debated endlessly in the years since. Many believe Stern buckled under the pressure of other team owners who pushed to ensure the trade to the Lakers wasn’t completed, as it was made by the outgoing Hornets front office at the time. Under pressure from owners like Mark Cuban and GMs like Danny Ainge, the Lakers trade was vetoed.
Nobody questioned the addition of Paul to the Clippers instead, as it didn’t further push the Lakers’ dominance over that era of the NBA further. Paul would peak as a second-round exit with the Clippers anyway, while the Lakers would fade from contention after blockbuster moves went wrong in the years after.
Gasol had to be pacified by the Lakers front office as a result of the failed trade, as he knew the front office tried to get rid of him to land Paul. Bridges ultimately were mended and Gasol spent three additional seasons on the Lakers before being moved to the Chicago Bulls in 2014.
Lamar Odom’s inclusion couldn’t be resolved, and the Lakers were forced to trade him to the Dallas Mavericks, who were coming off a championship and had swept the Lakers in the Playoffs that year as well.
It is widely believed that the acquisition of Paul was a precursor to the Lakers finalizing a trade for Dwight Howard, the 25-year-old three-time Defensive Player of the Year who had led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009. Both Howard and Paul joining Bryant on the Lakers would have created a superteam with a long shelf-life, given Paul and Howard’s age at the time.
The Lakers would wind up with Howard anyway, completing a blockbuster trade for him in 2012 without losing Gasol in the process. The team also signed Steve Nash to be their point guard, but this big four would flame out almost instantly before Kobe tore his Achilles to signal the demise of his career as a No. 1 option on a contender.
Would The Chris Paul – Dwight Howard – Kobe Bryant Lakers Have Won Titles?
Knowing how poorly Howard fit on the Lakers next to Kobe, there’s no guaranteeing that it would’ve ended up any differently if the move happened in 2011 with Paul also joining the franchise. Given Paul’s propensity to call out teammates lacking the right effort, he likely would’ve fallen out with Howard on similar terms as Kobe, which would’ve impacted that team’s ceiling.
Paul was coming off a season averaging 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 9.8 assists for the Hornets and was an All-NBA selection. He and pre-Achilles Kobe, who averaged 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in the 2010-11 season, would’ve been a championship contender on the strength of their backcourt alone.
Even with Howard’s problems, his natural defensive talent would’ve shone through in this set-up, especially before the injuries that ultimately derailed his Lakers career a few years later.
If Dwight could bring his 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks averages from 2010-11 into the Lakers for the next season, we finally might have gotten the Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Lakers final everyone wanted, pitting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh against Kobe, Chris, and Dwight.
That superteam would have been hard to beat in both 2012 and 2013, so it’s hard to pencil them in for a championship due to the strength of their big three. They definitely would’ve impacted the early rise of the OKC Thunder and the resurgence of the San Antonio Spurs, but those teams would’ve progressed enough to be serious contenders by 2013 anyway.
Championships are never guaranteed in the NBA, but the Lakers would’ve been far more credible threats if they landed Paul than what we ultimately saw, as the 2013 Playoffs was the last time Kobe ever made it to that stage.
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