NBA owners, who have control of the New Orleans Hornets, have apparently nixed a deal that would send superstar point guard Chris Paul to the Lakers.

The proposed deal would have sent Lakers forward Lamar Odom to New Orleans and big man Pau Gasol to Houston, and bring Paul to the Lakers, but owners stepped in have commissioner David Stern step in and prevent the trade from happening, according to ESPN. It is thought that the star-studded Lakers would benefit greatly from adding Paul.

It's possible that the trade could backfire on the league, as the Lakers could sign Paul at the end of the season without giving up players in return. Paul's contract expires in the summer and he has reportedly said that he would like to play for either the Lakers or Knicks.

The stumbling block with the Knicks landing Paul would be trading Amare Stoudemire to get him. New York doesn't appear to have the trade bait to land Paul, other than their prized big man. Stoudemire is a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden, and New York is already rather thin at center and power forward.

It's possible that Paul would want to play for the Lakers and no other team. The Lakers could simply play out the season and create cap space to acquire Paul in the offseason, so the move by the owners may leave Hornets' fans wondering why they lost Paul for nothing. This was the case in past offseason when the Cavaliers and Raptors lost LeBron James and Chris Bosh to free agency.

Also, the trade might be exactly what the Hornets need. General manager Dell Demps is looking to rebuild and would have received Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, and the Knicks 2012 first-round draft pick from Houston.

The Rockets, meanwhile, covet 7'0 Pau Gasol. Houston lost Yao Ming to retirement and have minimal post presence.

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