Former Lakers Champ Explains How Vetoed Chris Paul Trade Permanently Hurt Franchise

The 12-time All-Star was almost flipped to the Purple and Gold.
Nov 27, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA;  Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Nov 27, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
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Former 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul, still a starter with the San Antonio Spurs well into his NBA dotage, was infamously almost flipped to the Los Angeles Lakers while still in his prime on the then-New Orleans Hornets in 2011, as part of a three-team trade that would have also seen Hall of Fame L.A. big man Pau Gasol flipped to the Houston Rockets.

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The NBA, which at the time "owned" the Hornets while seeking a permanent buyer, ultimately vetoed the deal, forever altering the chemistry of a proud, veteran-laden Lakers club.

During a recent episode of "Podcast P," former five-time Los Angeles champion point guard Derek Fisher recalled the scuttled trade.

"That news broke, it was kind of weird," Fisher acknowledged.

"It was like, 'Okay, hold on. We just won two championships in a row, we've been to the Finals three years in a row. Why are we trying to make a deal of this magnitude that would change the chemistry of the group so much?'" Fisher explained.

In fairness, the 2010-11 season hadn't ended in a championship, but rather in a second round sweep at the hands of the eventual 2011 title winners, the Dallas Mavericks. Hall of Fame head coach Phil Jackson quit, and though the Lakers made the second round again in 2012, they would never again make an NBA Finals with their core of Gasol, Kobe Bryant, and Lamar Odom.

Fisher was retired by the time the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals, in 2020.

"Now of course, as players, we don't understand all the financial dynamics," Fisher allowed. "We're not looking ahead three years at contracts and if you don't trade a guy now, maybe you don't get anything for him, and maybe Chris' contract fit the timeline better because Kobe is about to get a new max."

"But myself, I'm like, 'Oh, clearly, they feel like they need something better at [my] position," Fisher noted.

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Even in 2024-25, playing his 20th season, Paul remains surprisingly lethal as an elite shooter and distributor.

There's evidence of his shooting prowess from a recent tilt against the Milwaukee Bucks, another team that had once been floated as a possible Paul trade destination. This season, Paul is connecting on 36 percent of his 4.8 looks from long range.

Paul remains a maestro of the midrange, too. Check out this one-legged step-back jumper over 6-foot-10 Bulls center Nikola Vucevic on a switch.

The court awareness of the "Point God" is frequently cited as perhaps among the best ever. Those instincts remain strong.

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For more Lakers news, stay tuned to Lakers On SI.


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Alex Kirschenbaum
ALEX KIRSCHENBAUM

Basketball is Alex's favorite sport, he likes the way they dribble up and down the court.