Chris Paul wants to stay in New Orleans, but only if team is commits to winning

Trade rumors -- totally ridiculous trade rumors for the most part -- are swirling around Chris Paul.

But nobody asked Chris Paul about it. Well, until Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine did.

“My first choice is to be in New Orleans,’' Paul said in a telephone interview from London. “I just want to make sure we’re committed to winning. If we’re not committed to winning and trying to get better so we can contend with the Lakers, the Celtics and all these other top teams, then I’m open to being traded.’'

The outgoing Hornets owner, George Shinn, is committed to cutting costs. That’s where the whole theory behind trading one of the best players in the game as he approaches his peak. You would only do that if you were a penny pincher.

The incoming owner Gary Chouest wants to win. He has suggested he will spend some to do that. But Shinn is strapped for cash and wants Chouest to take on more debt as part of the deal. So the final details of the deal are stalled.

For Paul, all that only matters in his ability to win.

“I’m fine with staying in New Orleans, but I want to make sure we’re committed to winning,” said Paul, whose been lauded for the community work he’s done in New Orleans. “I don’t want to rebuild. I want to win now. It’s nothing personal against the city. I love that city. But my biggest thing is winning.”

“I’m friends with D-Wade, LeBron, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and all these other free agents,” said Paul, who’s in London promoting his Brand Jordan sneakers. “I’m watching them try to figure out what they’re going to do to put themselves in a position to win championships. I’d love to be a part of that stuff.”