The Clippers put some heat on the Lakers by acquiring Chris Paul

In the end, David Stern was right. Last weekend, the commissioner's office stamped out a deal that would have sent New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package that included Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a draft pick from the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom from the Lakers. Instead, on Wednesday, the Hornets—under the league’s stewardship—agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers that brings them Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, the expiring contract of Chris Kaman and the Minnesota Timberwolves' first-round draft pick. 

The Clippers put some heat on the Lakers by acquiring Chris Paul. (AP Photo)

While the deal with the Lakers would have left the Hornets as a good team in the short term, the deal with the Clippers leaves them well-stocked for the future. Start with Gordon, who will turn 23 on Christmas and is coming off a season in which he established himself as an All-Star caliber player. Gordon boosted his scoring average to a career-high 22.3 points per game, and did so without sacrificing his efficiency—he shot 45.0 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from the 3-point line last season, right around his career averages. He upped his free-throw rate considerably (from 4.8 to 6.2 attempts) and became a better playmaker, with 4.4 assists per game. 

Gordon might not even turn out to be the best piece on the Hornets' side of the deal, though. The draft pick that New Orleans will receive from Minnesota comes in what might be the deepest and most talented draft since 2003, and even if the Timberwolves improve some this year, it is all but certain that the pick will wind up being a good one—the Timberwolves have not drafted below seventh since 2005. Assuming the Hornets do not make the playoffs this year, they will have two lottery chances in a draft overflowing with quality players.

Kaman, too, will get a chance to re-establish himself after an injury-pocked year that wiped clean the memory of his All-Star season the year before. He has an expiring contract worth $12.2 million, and if the Hornets let him walk next summer, they figure to have about $15 million worth of cap space available in what will be a strong free-agent market. (In the Lakers/Rockets deal, it should be noted, the Hornets would have been committed to Martin through next season, and to Scola through 2015.) 

The Hornets get a fair shot at rebuilding, then. Of course, whom they're rebuilding for remains a mystery, as the league continues to seek a buyer who will keep the team in New Orleans. But, with the Paul situation resolved and a bundle of assets in place, the Hornets are in a good position.