Trade Verdicts
NBA Trade Verdict

Clippers Win

The Clippers acquired Chris Paul and two second-round picks for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and the unprotected 2012 first that became Austin Rivers, creating the Lob City era.

December 14, 2011 LA Clippers / New Orleans Pelicans Record confidence: High

LA Clippers Received

New Orleans Pelicans Received

LA Clippers

A+

New Orleans Pelicans

D+

Trade Analysis

The Clippers Acquired a Player Who Could Define Every Possession

Los Angeles sent Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick to New Orleans for Chris Paul and two future second-round picks. The cost included a promising scorer, a starting center, a recent lottery wing, and a valuable pick. The Clippers accepted that price because elite point guards in their prime rarely become available, and Paul could immediately organize a young roster built around Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

Paul Changed the Franchise Before the First Playoff Series

The Clippers had long been defined by losing seasons, instability, and limited relevance in Los Angeles. Paul's arrival changed expectations immediately. He controlled tempo, created efficient shots, improved late-game execution, and made the team nationally visible through the Lob City partnership with Griffin and Jordan. The franchise produced six winning seasons during his first stint and reached the playoffs every year he was there.

The Competitive Results Were Historically Significant

The Paul-era Clippers won their first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series. They never reached the conference finals, which prevents the trade from being graded as a completed championship success, but the sustained floor was unprecedented for the organization. Paul became the franchise's all-time assists leader and repeatedly earned All-NBA and All-Defensive recognition while establishing Los Angeles as a credible destination.

New Orleans Received Quantity Without a Cornerstone

Gordon had the highest upside in the return, but injuries and an unhappy tenure prevented him from becoming the replacement star New Orleans needed. Kaman stayed only briefly, Aminu developed into a useful defender but reached his best role elsewhere, and the first-round pick became Austin Rivers. Each asset had legitimate value, yet the package never produced a player or chain capable of replacing Paul's influence.

The Rejected Lakers Deal Shaped the Pressure

The league-owned Hornets had already agreed to a three-team trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers before the transaction was rejected. New Orleans then had to reopen the market while Paul's departure remained inevitable. The Clippers package emphasized youth and draft value, which was sensible for a franchise awaiting stable ownership. That context explains the return but does not improve how its pieces ultimately performed.

Why the Grades Are Far Apart

Los Angeles received six seasons of elite point-guard play and a complete change in organizational identity. New Orleans received several credible assets, but no durable cornerstone and no comparable competitive era. The Clippers' A-plus rewards both production and transformation. The Pelicans' D-plus recognizes that the return was not empty, while acknowledging that the franchise failed to convert its best outgoing player into lasting star value.

Final Verdict

The Clippers won the trade by a wide margin. Chris Paul created the most successful sustained era in franchise history to that point, led six straight winning seasons and playoff appearances, and made the organization relevant to players and fans. New Orleans received legitimate prospects, a veteran center, and the pick used on Austin Rivers, but none became a comparable cornerstone. The grades remain Los Angeles A-plus and New Orleans D-plus, with Clippers Win.

For Hardcore NBA Heads

How Chris Paul Made the Clippers Matter

The Paul trade was bigger than the highlight lobs that gave the era its name. Los Angeles acquired a player capable of controlling the game, holding teammates accountable, and establishing professional expectations inside an organization with little history of sustained success. New Orleans assembled a package that looked credible on transaction day, but the absence of a lasting centerpiece allowed the gap to widen every season Paul remained elite.

The Price Reflected Paul's Scarcity

Gordon was coming off a promising start to his career, Aminu had been a recent lottery pick, Kaman had All-Star experience, and the Minnesota pick was unprotected. Los Angeles was not exploiting a giveaway. It was choosing to consolidate several uncertain assets into one known elite organizer. That is often the correct decision when the acquired player can raise the value of every remaining young piece on the roster.

Lob City Was a Basketball System Before It Was a Brand

The spectacular finishes mattered because Paul consistently created them through pace, spacing, and precise reads. Griffin became more dangerous as a screener and short-roll creator, while Jordan received high-efficiency rim opportunities. Paul also supplied mid-range scoring and turnover control when the transition game disappeared. The entertainment value grew from a repeatable offensive structure, not only from athleticism.

The Ceiling Was Lower Than the Talent Suggested

The Clippers' inability to reach the conference finals remains the strongest limitation on the grade. Injuries, blown series leads, and a difficult Western Conference prevented the core from converting regular-season excellence into a title run. Even so, trade evaluation should compare the outcome with the cost and the franchise's prior baseline. Paul delivered years of contention and relevance that the outgoing assets never matched.

New Orleans Needed One Asset to Become the Next Foundation

The package offered several possible paths, but none developed into the star bridge the franchise required. Gordon's injuries reduced his availability, Rivers struggled before finding a later role elsewhere, and Aminu became more valuable after leaving. The Hornets gained flexibility and respectable talent, but the absence of a retained centerpiece made the rebuild dependent on future draft luck rather than this return.

The Trade Altered Future Recruitment

Paul's tenure helped the Clippers become a place where star players could imagine winning. That reputation outlasted Lob City and formed part of the organization's later pursuit of Leonard and George. Not every future decision can be credited directly to one trade, but franchise credibility compounds. Paul helped replace the expectation of dysfunction with the expectation that Los Angeles would operate as a serious playoff team.

Final Verdict

The Clippers made the clearly superior trade. Paul became the engine of six straight winning seasons, the franchise's all-time assists leader, and the defining player of an era that permanently raised expectations. New Orleans's package was defensible in structure but disappointing in realized value, with no asset developing into a comparable cornerstone. Los Angeles A-plus, New Orleans D-plus, Clippers Win.

Research sources (5)