(Image source: The Times-Picayune)
 

BY SAM KOROTKIN
 

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

Chris Paul to the Lakers? -nope. Chris Paul to the Clippers? - nope. Paul is STILL a New Orleans Hornet- for now.
 

Less than a week ago, NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed a trade that would have sent New Orleans Hornets’ guard Chris Paul to the Lakers. On Monday, a proposed deal with the Clippers fell through because the NBA’s asking price was too high.

John Schuhmann of NBA.com says he likes Chris Paul, but thinks the Clippers made the right decision -- especially since Paul’s contract is up after this season.
 

“Paul is a special player, but that’s a lot of assets to give up if you’re not sure he’ll be staying beyond next season. Now, we must wonder what it’s going to take for the Hornets/NBA to part with Paul and if a trade is even possible at all with the league owning the team.”
 

The commissioner used the confusingly vague term “basketball reasons” for why he vetoed Paul’s trade to the Lakers. Now that another deal involving Paul has fallen through, some believe it’s about more than that. A writer for Clipper Blog says although talks are dead now, they might not be over.
 

“It’s possible the Clippers and Hornets re-engage, but not as likely that the Hornets move off their hard-line stance. This is no longer about ‘basketball reasons’ or the marketability of a franchise — it’s about proving a point.”
 

What that point is, no one may know, but EPSN’s Chris Broussard suggests the NBA might be holding onto Paul in an effort to keep the value of the NBA-owned Hornets as high as possible.
 

“Having Chris Paul on the team makes them more attractive to prospective buyers, but these buyers aren’t stupid. They know Chris Paul will leave at the end of the season, so nobody’s going in there saying ‘I’ve got Chris Paul!’”
 

But an SB Nation writer says both deals fell through because of one simple thing: money.
 

“Interestingly, this deal does help clarify why the league rejected the Lakers deal; despite the superior talent, that deal did not give the Hornets the same clean balance sheet. Even though it came across as heavy-handed and meddlesome, the league's killing that deal does make sense from this balance sheet perspective.”

So what’s the right price for Paul?  The New England Sports Network thinks maybe the NBA ought to post that in every locker room -- and let the other 29 owners work it out from there.