Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the New Orleans Hornets have agreed to trade guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for forwards Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. The deal has not been confirmed.
Paul, 26, averaged 15.8 points-per-game in 2010-2011, alongside 9.8 assists. He has been hailed as one of the top players on the market heading into the 2012 off-season, and a trade had been widely-speculated for some time now. The Hornets had been said to be working on a deal that would have sent Paul to the Warriors, though that fell through late last night.
Going to New Orleans are Gasol and Odom, who will form a post-presence the Hornets have needed for a while. Odom had been a member of the Lakers since the 2004-2005 campaign, and won two championships with the squad. He averaged 14.4 points last season with 8.6 rebounds.
Joining him is Gasol, who was dealt to the Lakers prior to the 2008-2009 season. He averaged 18.8 points-per-game last season, but came under fire during most of his tenure for being soft at times in the post.
The Knicks and Celtics had also been rumored to be in pursuit of the star guard, and Paul had previously mentioned he wanted to end up in New York. No word yet on if he will sign an extension.
**UPDATE** 6:30 p.m. EST-The Lakers will send Gasol and Odom to the Hornets, who will then send Gasol to the Houston Rockets for Luis Scola and Kevin Martin.
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