A day after the NBA vetoed a reported deal sending Chris Paul to the L.A. Lakers, Dell Demps, the general manager of the league-owned New Orleans Hornets, said that he has clearance to proposed additional trades that involve CP3 or other players.
SB Nation's At The Hive has the quotes:
"Yes, we've been given autonomy to make another trade. ... There's many times than owner comes and nixes a deal. It usually just doesn't become public like this. This is not unusual."
What is unusual is that NBA commissioner David Stern -- not league-appointed Hornets chairman Jac Sperling -- apparently made the call to disallow the trade. That decision came after reported outcries from other NBA owners who hated to see the Lakers add a superstar to the roster.
It remains to be seen whether the Lakers, Hornets and Houston Rockets can tweak Thursday's deal to be acceptable for Stern. It's pretty clear that no deal that results in CP3 playing for the Lakers will be suitable for the other NBA owners.