This bit of LA Lakers news might open some old wounds for the currently-suffering Laker faithful--new NBA commissioner Adam Silver believes former commish David Stern made the right call in nixing a 2011 deal that would have brought superstar Chris Paul to the LA Lakers.
On December 8th, 2011, the then-New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, and LA Lakers signed off on a three-way deal that would have placed six-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul side-by-side with future NBA Hall-of-Famer Kobe Bryant.
However, David Stern vetoed the deal, partially due to the NBA owning the New Orleans Hornets at that time, and partially due to what Stern termed "basketball reasons."
Earlier today, NBA commissioner Adam Silver defended Stern's judgement--"[Stern] was acting in the best interest of the franchise at the time when he made the decision and did what he felt was right for the team."
Yet, in retrospect, the current New Orleans Pelicans would have made out pretty well if the trade would have been approved.
New Orleans would have received shooting guard Kevin Martin, power forward Luis Scola, 2013-14 breakout sensation Goran Dragic and a first-round pick from Houston, with Houston receiving current LA Lakers trade darling Pau Gasol.
Goran Dragic has taken a superstar turn this year with the Phoenix Suns, prompting many NBA analysts to consider him the biggest snub of the 2014 NBA All-Star Game selection process.