Former NBA commissioner David Stern, reflecting on a 2011 proposed Chris Paul trade that he vetoed when the league was the interim owner of the then-New Orleans Pelicans, said it has stood the test of time and that general manager Dell Demps was “lousy” and was poised to lose star Pelicans center Anthony Davis.
Stern, speaking in an in-depth interview with Sports Illustrated, said he didn’t do a good job of explaining his reasoning at the time.
“There was a trade that Dell Demps wanted us to approve and I said heck no, but he had told Daryl Morey and Mitch Kupchak he had authority to do it and he didn’t,” Stern said of the Rockets’ general manager and the then-Lakers GM. “I said no. We just settled a lockout and you want me to approve a basketball trade?”
Despite a wave of heavy reaction and reaction, Stern did not waver in his decision.
“[Demps] had agreed to [trade Paul to the Lakers for] Kevin Martin and Luis Scola or something, and I said we can do better than that,” Stern said “… And the next trade was [to the Clippers for] Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu and what we thought was a really great draft pick, the 10th pick, which turned out to be Austin Rivers. At least those three and someone else [center Chris Kaman].
“But Dell Demps is a lousy general manager and none of those players are currently with the team anymore, and he may lose Anthony Davis,” Stern said.
Davis, who has proved to be an MVP-caliber player the Pelicans could build their franchise around, is eligible to sign up to a five-year, $235 million extension next summer. Davis, who averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game last year, can become an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
“I did it because I was protecting the then Hornets,” Stern said of the 2011 veto. “… To this day everyone always asks me, ‘Well why did you keep Chris Paul from going to the Lakers?’ I didn’t keep him. I didn’t approve the trade. No team sells or trades a future Hall of Famer without the owner signing off, and I was the owner’s rep.
“But I wasn’t going to hand up Dell Demps.”