NBA Trade Rumor: Magic to Acquire Chris Paul?

There have been some rumors flying around lately that the Orlando Magic and the New Orleans Hornets are talking about a possible trade of Chris Paul to the Magic. So far, we haven't really heard any names that would be heading back to the Hornets in return, but that's why I'm writing this article, to offer some possibilities.

The Orlando Magic have not had a legit "star" player in his prime to put alongside Dwight Howard so far, and acquiring Paul would definitely do that for them. The catch? New Orleans is going to be asking a hefty price in return, and while that may deter some teams from going after him, the Magic are willing to move a lot in order to acquire that franchise point guard they have longed to have for the past few seasons.



There are quite a few players that I'm sure the Hornets would love to acquire from the Magic. Among those guys are Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, Brandon Bass, and Mickael Pietrus. My guess would be that the deal would look something like this:

Chris Paul
James Posey

for

Vince Carter
Jameer Nelson
Mickael Pietrus
Brandon Bass
Future picks

Something like that would probably be very intriguing for the Hornets, and it might get them to pull the trigger. They would have Darren Collison as their starting point guard, and they could either use Nelson as their backup, or they could make another trade and get a couple more good players for Nelson. Acquiring Carter would bring in a scoring shooting guard, something they haven't had in quite some time. The other two players involved in the trade aren't just throw ins. Pietrus would add a defense small forward to replace James Posey, and he is also a lot cheaper. As for Bass, he showed a lot of potential to be a low post player in his limited playing time with the Magic last season, and it's no secret that the Hornets are looking for more post help.



Overall the two teams are both in need of making some moves. The Hornets have to make a decision on whether or not to trade Paul or Collison, because I don't believe the two of them are going to co-exist with one or the other taking the bulk of the playing time. Both players could get good talent back in return, but trading Paul to Orlando for that kind of package could make a lot of sense.

Thoughts?