The 10 biggest what-if scenarios of the NBA this decade
3. What if David Stern didn’t veto the Chris Paul trade?
Chris Paul was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for about an hour in December 2011. L.A. and the New Orleans Hornets had agreed on a blockbuster three-team trade — along with the Houston Rockets — that would’ve paired the game’s best floor general with its best 2-guard.
As David Stern would have it, the trade wouldn’t go through, a power the commissioner held as the interim owner of the Hornets franchise in the midst of finding a buyer.
Less than a week later, CP found himself on his way to Southern California, only to head across the Staples Center as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers.
It was a turn of events that sent both squads in vastly different directions. For the first time, the Clippers were relevant for all the right reasons, housing one of the league’s top players to pair alongside reigning Rookie of the Year and highlight machine Blake Griffin.
The Lakers, meanwhile, never truly recovered from that nixed deal. Other trades were later made in an attempt to remain atop the Western Conference, but LA’s demise was ultimately a slow and painful end to Bryant’s illustrious career.
Given his inability to concede the basketball to Steve Nash, it’s hard to picture a world in which Bryant sacrifices for Paul.
Unlike the former two-time MVP, however, Paul’s demeanor is far more confrontational, which could’ve amounted to the latest drama playing out on a nightly basis in the Lakers’ locker room.
If CP is a Laker, are the Orlando Magic still inclined to send them Dwight Howard knowing full well it would lay waste to the rest of the league? Perhaps they send Dwight to one of his other preferred destinations, bringing intrigue to one of the Dallas Mavericks or Brooklyn Nets.
Without Paul to push them into the playoffs, Lob City never comes to fruition and the Clippers remain at the bottom of the standings.
Doc Rivers would later come aboard in pursuit of a championship but wouldn’t likely do so under these new circumstances, which could place him back in Boston or at the helm of the contending Lakers.
The ramifications of this non-trade/trade are truly gargantuan. Paul’s presence on the Lakers puts Steve Nash somewhere else. New Orleans’ return for the Hall of Fame point guard likely doesn’t get them Anthony Davis. Kobe could have six championships as the Clippers relocate to Seattle.
Stern felt New Orleans wasn’t receiving enough from the Lakers in exchange for Paul, an intense debate with no logical answer. Whether or not he was right to veto the original trade isn’t as compelling a question as wondering what would’ve happened if he didn’t.