A week ago, the L.A. Lakers thought that they had a deal with the New Orleans Hornets that would result in Chris Paul playing in Southern California. The NBA, which currently runs the Hornets, nixed the trade at what seemed to be the last moment. On Wednesday, the Hornets did consummate a CP3 trade, but this time with the L.A. Clippers.
Lakers Reportedly Angry About Chris Paul Trade To Clippers
As you’d expect, the Lakers aren’t terribly happy with this turn of events. From the Los Angeles Times’ Mike Bresnahan:
The Lakers were privately fuming Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of their front office, when Paul, the New Orleans point guard, ended up in Los Angeles six days after the NBA vetoed the Lakers’ trade for him.
Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak declined to comment through a spokesman but earlier this week said the NBA’s blockade was “completely unexpected.”
The situation will only be made worse when the Lakers have to pony up a reported $50 million as a part of the league’s new revenue sharing program. The Hornets, who will be owned by the league for at least a few more months, will likely be a major beneficiary of the program, and could take in $15 million in redistributed funds this season.
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