Failed New Orleans Pelicans Trade Among Biggest What-Ifs In NBA History

History could have been completely different for Pelicans guard Chris Paul if the Lakers deal had been approved.

April 20, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) moves the ball against the defense of New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul (3) in the first half of game two of the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs at the Staples Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Trade talks for the New Orleans Pelicans are a hot-button issue these days. The Brandon Ingram saga will play itself out with either a trade or a contract extension for the former All-Star. New Orleans isn't a stranger to trading an All-Star caliber player as the failed trade of Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers makes HoopsHype's list of biggest trades that almost happened in NBA history.

What made the trade scenario so bizarre at the time was the then-known Hornets were operating without an owner at the time. Former owner George Shinn attempted to sell his majority share in the team, but negotiations stalled, and the deal didn't happen. Shinn was not in a position to financially continue to run the Hornets, so the NBA stepped in to purchase the team and run it while it sought a local owner to keep the team in New Orleans.

Around this time, their star Chris Paul's future in the Big Easy was in doubt after he would not sign another extension with the team. New Orleans looked for a trade partner to get assets back for the franchise's best player at the time. The Hornets appeared to have a trade partner with the Lakers and details of a trade were announced.

"In December of that year, a trade was announced that sent Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal with the Houston Rockets that was, essentially, a package of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Within hours, though, then-NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal, citing “basketball reasons”."

The 'basketball reasons' were never explained, but coincidentally the Hornets found a trade partner with the other L.A. team, the Clippers. Paul was dealt to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and the No. 10 pick that would later become Austin Rivers.

Paul's nixed trade to the Lakers seemingly changed much of what NBA history could have been. The duo of former Hornets superstar guard and 5-time champion Kobe Bryant was seen as the next unstoppable duo in the league. As it turned out, Bryant never made another NBA Finals again and Paul never got past the second round of the playoffs with the Clippers.

The former Wake Forest standout still seeks his first NBA championship. He came close in 2021 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. That team made it to the Finals and had a 2-0 lead against the Milwaukee Bucks before losing the next four games and losing. Paul is currently a member of the San Antonio Spurs in his 20th season in the NBA.