chris paul nixed pels trade for curry and klay

Chris Paul confirms he spiked 2011 trade that would have sent Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to New Orleans

Jack Baer

Yahoo SportsApril 27, 2020, 9:13 PM PDT

One of the modern NBA’s great what-ifs is what would have happened if then-NBA commissioner David Stern didn’t spike the trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011.

As it turns out, an even bigger one was sitting in the shadows of Paul’s trade market.

As documented in the book “The Victory Machine” by Ethan Strauss, the Warriors reportedly attempted to acquire Paul from the New Orleans Hornets that same winter.

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The price the Warriors would have paid? Two young guards by the name of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Such a trade is unthinkable today with the benefit of hindsight, but the deal was reportedly almost done, until Paul stepped in.

How Chris Paul killed a Splash Brothers blockbuster trade

An excerpt from the book, via NBC Sports:

The Warriors attempted to trade Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul in 2011. It was far from the only time Curry was shopped, but in this instance, the deal was very close to completion. Myers made the offer and Hornets GM Dell Demps was receptive. The catch was Chris Paul, who wanted out of New Orleans but had no intention of playing for the woebegone Warriors. Paul told the Warriors they could do this trade, but he wouldn’t be staying when his contract was up at season’s end.”