Hornets Rejected Proposed Amar'e Stoudemire For Chris Paul Trade

The New York Knicks reportedly offered star power forward Amar’e Stoudemire to the New Orleans Hornets in return for Chris Paul, an offer which was swiftly rejected, according to the New York Post.

It had been rumored that the New York Knicks have been attempting to acquire disgruntled point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets, however it was believed they were doing so in an attempt to combine his talents with their two existing superstars; Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Many speculated, however, that the Knicks lacked the resources to structure a trade for a player of the magnitude of Paul, because the team previously traded away a good deal of their youth in order to acquire Anthony last season.

Stoudemire signed a five-year, $99.7 million deal with the Knicks prior to last season. Since his arrival, many have viewed him as the centerpiece to the Knicks rebuilding efforts. The team recently signed big man Tyson Chandler to a free-agent deal, but it was believed that he was brought in to provide support to Stoudemire, not replace him.

Last season in 78 games the 29-year-old averaged 25.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Knicks.