Despite positive statements about his future in New Orleans following Monday's meeting with the team, Chris Paul is still seeking a way out, according to a source close to the point guard.
It at first appeared as though the Hornets had completely ended the Paul saga, but Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports that isn't the case.
"The telltale thing is that Chris Paul won't comment publicly other than what was released about it," said a person familiar with Paul's strategy.
"Leon Rose didn't come out and say, 'Chris is happy in New Orleans.' If he was happy, they would've said that. ... The only way they can get close to full value is to say, 'You guys can't make trade demands.' They're orchestrating this thing to likely move him."
A number of sources indicate that Paul and his new group of power brokers at Creative Artists Agency, led by Rose, continue to pull strings behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, the Hornets have been looking at the Magic, Bobcats and Nets as potential trade partners.
New Orleans appears focused on trading Paul to the Eastern Conference, while Paul wants to compete for a championship.
"Basically, he doesn't think they're good enough and he's put LeBron's people around him for a reason," the person familiar with Paul's strategy said. "And he doesn't want to wait two years and be 27 years old trying to get on a championship team. He wants to do it now."
The Hornets are standing firm on not letting Paul dictate which teams he'll like to be traded to
