I was listening to the Stephen A. Smith show on ESPN radio, where he had Marc Stein (who broke the news on CP3 to Clippers trade), and he gave us some more tidbits about how it all went down:
- Lakers were actually involved in the CP3 trade again, which involved 2 other teams, and this is the reason why Clippers got antsy and ended up putting Gordon in the deal, and it was something they didn't want in the end.
- Clippers had 5 trade baits at their deposit, and they gave up 4 of the 5 in the trade (Bledsoe was the only trade bait that they kept).
- Clippers wanted to use Chris Paul to entice Blake Griffin to sign a long-term deal, even though CP3 only would sign a two-year deal with the team thus far.
Regarding Dwight Howard, Nets are going all out to try to get him, because that's the only way to convince Deron Williams to sign extension with the team, and they need an All-Star when they move to Brooklyn. But if Lakers offer both Gasol and Bynum in the trade, they'll be able to win out in the trade. The question is, would Jim Buss be willing to part with Byrum? Personally, I think Buss has done alot of damage to the franchise already, including trading Odom immediately when he requested a trade instead of waiting it out for things to develop. Now they'd have nothing to offer in a trade except Gasol and Bynum. If Lakers walked away with nothing in the end, Kobe won't be the only one who'll voice his anger at the front office.