NBA won't trade Hornets' Paul to Lakers

NEW ORLEANS — The NBA, as owners of the New Orleans Hornets, won't trade All-Star guard Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass says: "It's not true that the owners killed the deal, the deal was never discussed at the Board of Governors meeting and the league office declined to make the trade for basketball reasons."

A person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press that the framework for a deal had been in place, but that Paul would report to Hornets camp Friday.

Lakers forward Lamar Odom would have gone to New Orleans and fellow Los Angeles forward Pau Gasol to Houston, the third team in the trade, people told The Associated Press on Thursday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not finalized.