大家自己看看這個不平等交易。

來源: ctgolfer 於 2014-05-31 08:28:55 [檔案] [博客] [舊帖] [給我悄悄話] 閱讀數 : (6015 bytes)

N.B.A. Rejects Trade Sending Paul to Lakers

An epic trade that would have made Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant teammates in Los Angeles was vetoed Thursday night by N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern in a decision that rocked the league just as it emerged from a five-month lockout.

The New Orleans Hornets had agreed to send Paul, a four-time All-Star, to the Lakers in a three-team deal that involved the Houston Rockets. Only 45 minutes after the teams reached an agreement, Stern called the Hornets and vetoed the deal, according to a person involved in the deal.

“The league has killed it,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing his role in the talks. “I know that’s 100 percent true.”

Asked who had made the decision, the person said, “It definitely was David.”

The league did not immediately explain the decision, other than to issue a terse statement through a spokesman, saying, “League office declined to make the trade for basketball reasons.”

Stern had the authority to kill the deal because the league owns the Hornets, having purchased the franchise from George Shinn in 2010. Until now, league officials had granted autonomy to the Hornets’ front office to make personnel decisions it deemed appropriate. This was the first time the league has stepped in.

Stern was said to be acting on behalf of some of the other owners, who were upset to see the Hornets send Paul — a premier point guard — to the Lakers, who have won five championships since 2000. Competitive reasons aside, some team executives speculated that the league was concerned that the Hornets’ resale value would plummet without Paul on the roster.

The N.B.A.’s spokesman, Tim Frank, said the trade was not killed by the other owners, nor was it discussed at the board of governors meeting earlier in the day.

But at least one owner did demand that the trade be rejected. Dan Gilbert, the Cleveland Cavaliers owner, referred to the trade as a “travesty” in a letter to Stern and others in the league Thursday night.

“I just don’t see how we can allow this trade to happen,” Gilbert writes in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times.

Gilbert claims that the deal would have saved the Lakers $20 million in salaries over the next three years, and another $21 million in luxury taxes — money that would go to small-market teams like the Cavaliers.

“I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process,” Gilbert writes. “And it doesn’t appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard.”

Gilbert also states, “I know the vast majority of owners feel the same way that I do.” He asks for a vote of “the 29 owners of the Hornets” — a reference to the fact that each N.B.A. owner paid a share of the $300 million sale price.

Gilbert concludes, with sarcasm, “When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?”

The N.B.A. adopted a labor agreement on Thursday that was aimed at boosting small-market teams and promoting competitive balance. The Paul trade symbolically and practically undermined that message, putting league officials in an awkward position.

But, on balance, the Hornets were getting an equitable deal, with a generous package of talent from the Lakers and the Rockets.

New Orleans would have received Lamar Odom from the Lakers, and Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Goran Dragic from the Rockets. Martin is among the league’s top scorers, Odom is a versatile big man and Scola is a skilled and rugged power forward. In addition, the Hornets would have received the Knicks’ first-round draft pick in 2012, which the Rockets acquired in a previous trade. Houston would have received Pau Gasol from the Lakers.

The Hornets would have done well, given the circumstances. Paul can opt out of his contract next summer, and he had made it clear to the Hornets that he intended to leave. He expressed a preference for New York or Los Angeles. That meant that Dell Demps, the Hornets’ general manager, had little leverage with potential trade partners.

Agents and team officials involved in the deal were shocked by the league’s decision, and livid over the fallout and the implications.

“That means they’re dictating where players go,” said the person involved in the talks.

The person said the deal had been worked on for months, but most intensely for the last couple of weeks. Demps had been advised by league officials that he was free to trade Paul. He provided frequent updates on the trade talks to two high-ranking officials: Stu Jackson, the N.B.A.’s executive vice president of basketball operations, and Joel Litvin, the president of league operations. Those two, in turn, kept Stern informed.

The primary players in the deal had been discussed for some time, according to the person involved in the talks. Some team executives are worried about the precedent set by Stern’s decision. They also wonder whether the league can allow Paul to be traded at all now, because it would appear that the league decided where he should go. If Paul is not traded, the Hornets will probably lose him without compensation next summer.

All league business, which had been suspended during the lockout and completion of the labor deal, will resume Friday at 2 p.m. Despite a league edict that banned even handshake deals, a number of teams and players agreed to terms on Thursday.

Tyson Chandler, who helped the Dallas Mavericks win the championship in June, is close to joining the Knicks, according to two people involved in the talks. Caron Butler, his Dallas teammate, plans to sign with the Clippers, according to multiple reports. Shane Battier announced on Twitter that he would sign with the Heat. Mike Dunleavy Jr. reached an agreement with the Bucks.

Ken Belson contributed reporting.