“It Was Too Much Money After Kobe Bryant & You Got Together”: When Gilbert Arenas And Chris Paul Talked About Lakers’ Voided Trade in 2011

At the end of 2011, when the league had superteams in Miami and Boston, a few solid teams in San Antonio and Dallas, and a couple of budding ones in Chicago, Oklahoma, and Oakland, When Shaquille O’Neal and Lakers Entourage Received Flak for Visiting Seattle Strip Club Lakers and Kobe Bryant tried pulling off something big.

In a 3-team deal that would send Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Hornets and Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets Lakers would have gotten Chris Paul.

However, the NBA, having the majority owner of the Hornets, called it off. The reason? It all seemed unfair to them.
When Chris Paul and Gilbert Arenas talked about the voided Lakers deal

Also read: “Shaquille O’Neal Faced Painful Rejection”: Contrary to Diesel’s Heartwarming Story, Reebok Was Allegedly Responsible for Ending $15 Million Deal

Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant could have had several championships, but NBA wasn’t ready for them

In an interview with former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and his co-host Josiah Johnson, CP3 talked about a lot of things that transpired all throughout his long and illustrious career.

And one of the biggest things that couldn’t transpire was his move to the Lakers which would have teamed him up with Kobe Bryant.

Arenas explained to the Point God that even after paying off Bryant, Paul, and Howard’s contract in 2012, the Lakers would be left with a massive $25-30 million salary cap.
“It was too much money after You too got together,” Arenas said.

The Suns point guard doesn’t look like he has any idea of what Arenas are telling him as if it were the first time he heard this.

Both Kobe and CP3 didn’t win championships after that failed trade

Although he was already a 5x NBA champ at the time, Kobe Bryant wanted more to eclipse Michael Jordan in order to become the greatest of all time.

Whereas Chris Paul hadn’t won a championship at the time and waits for the first one in his otherwise tremendous career. Just imagine if David Stern did not interfere in that trade.

Also read: “Everything Went Numb”: Dwyane Wade, Who Was #5 Draft of 2003 Class, Expected to Play For the Chicago Bulls Instead of Miami Heat

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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