NBA Capsules: McGrady works out with Bulls

The Hornets' star guard did not request a trade Monday in his meeting with new coach Monty Williams and top team officials, general manager Dell Demps said.

Demps, essentially in his first day on the job since his hiring last week, added that he was confident Paul would still be with New Orleans when the coming season opens.

The meeting took place at an undisclosed downtown location before Demps made his way back to the Hornets' corporate offices to meet with reporters.

Although Paul did not speak with the media, the team released statement from him that indicated the three-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist was encouraged by the Hornets' recent coaching and front-office overhaul.

"The meeting went well. It was great to get an opportunity to sit down with coach Williams, president Weber and our new general manager, Dell Demps," Paul's statement said. "I expressed my desire to win and I like what they said about the direction that they want to take the team. I have been a Hornet my entire career and I hope to represent the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana for many years to come."

Paul has two years remaining before he can opt out of his current contract with the Hornets. However, he said at his charity golf outing earlier this month that he would welcome a trade if the Hornets did not demonstrate a willingness to give him a supporting cast that would make the club good enough to compete with any team in the NBA.

Only days after making that statement, Paul fired his agent and hired Leon Rose, who also represents LeBron James. Paul also agreed to work with James' LRMR marketing agency.

Paul's representatives then told the Hornets that Paul was interested in being traded, but the Hornets countered by scheduling a meeting in New Orleans that included Demps, Williams, team president Hugh Weber, Rose and Paul's brother, C.J. Paul.

"It was a very productive meeting. I was encouraged," Demps said. "It was the first time I met Chris. It was a good opportunity for us to open the lines of communication. Chris had some very good points. ... He was energetic. He was open. He was honest. He showed that he wants to win, and that's what we want to do as well."

Williams and Weber stood nearby but did not comment as Demps discussed the meeting with Paul, which Demps said lasted about 90 minutes.

While Paul cannot force a trade, the Hornets opted to trade disgruntled guard Baron Davis during the 2004-05 season. New Orleans then began a rebuilding process that picked up speed with the drafting of Paul out of Wake Forest in the summer of 2005. Paul went on to become rookie of the year and quickly became the face of the franchise. A poster-size photo of Paul's smiling visage is the first thing that greets those who walk into the Hornets' corporate offices on the 19th floor of a downtown high rise near the New Orleans Arena.

Demps said he hoped Paul would not become disruptive as long as he remains in New Orleans.

"I don't anticipate that," Demps said.

If Paul were traded, it would be only the latest change, but perhaps highest-profile one, for a franchise in flux.

Nearly three months ago, the Hornets' founding owner, George Shinn, reached a verbal agreement to sell his majority share of the club to partner and Louisiana businessman Gary Chouest. A final sale is still pending, however, and both Shinn and Chouest have declined to discuss the holdup.

In the meantime, former general manager Jeff Bower, who also served as head coach after Byron Scott was fired last season, has stepped down. When the Hornets hired the 38-year-old Williams in June, he became a first-time coach and the youngest one in the NBA. Then Demps, 40, replaced Bower in the front office. Demps, a former San Antonio Spurs executive, is a first-time general manager.

So far, the only two new players on the Hornets' roster are the rookies they drafted last month: Craig Brackins and Quincy Pondexter. Their only free agent move has been the re-signing of reserve center Aaron Gray, meaning Demps could have a lot of work to do to keep Paul happy.

Demps did not go into detail about the Hornets' presentation to Paul. He said for competitive reasons he needed to keep much of what they discussed private.

The Hornets' payroll is close to the NBA's luxury tax threshold, and team officials have said they do not want to pay the tax or take on new debt while the sale of the club is pending.

Still, Demps asserted, "There's always ways to be creative."

"I'm an optimist. I think that we'll sit down and evaluate the roster and look at all our pieces and move forward and do what's in the best interests of the organization."

-- Brett Martel

The Cleveland Cavaliers completed their first post-LeBron James personnel move on Monday night, trading troubled guard Delonte West and point guard Sebastian Telfair to the Minnesota Timberwolves for point guard Ramon Sessions, 7-footer Ryan Hollins and a future second-round pick.

After James dumped the Cavs on national television and fled to Miami to join Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat, owner Dan Gilbert sent off a scathing letter to Cleveland fans vowing to win a title before LeBron does.

The Cavaliers tried to start the roster makeover by signing restricted free agent point guard Kyle Lowry to an offer sheet, but the Houston Rockets matched it. So they settled on Sessions, a quick, pick-and-roll specialist who spent last season backing up rookie Jonny Flynn on the woeful Wolves, as their new point guard.

Sessions averaged 8.2 points on 45.6 percent shooting with 3.1 assists in a career-low 21.1 minutes per game last season. He signed a four-year, $16 million deal to join the Wolves before last season. The native of South Carolina is close friends with Cavs guard Mo Williams from their days together with the Milwaukee Bucks and should get much more playing time in Cleveland this year.

The 25-year-old Hollins is a super-athletic, but very raw, forward/center who averaged 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds last year.

"In Ramon, we're excited to add a young, multi-dimensional guard, and with Ryan, we're adding a young, athletic center," new Cavaliers GM Chris Grant said in a statement issued by the team. "We think both Ramon and Ryan are really good fits for this team. We're also happy to add another asset for the future with the additional draft pick."

They also have to be relieved to rid themselves of West, who was the team's second-best performer next to James in the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 before his play suffered thanks to several off-the-court issues last year.

West pleaded guilty in Maryland earlier this month to weapons charges. He was sentenced to eight months of home detention with electronic monitoring, two years of unsupervised probation, 40 hours of community service and psychological counseling.

Prosecutors said that the sentence would allow West to attend practices and travel to NBA games as his team's schedule requires, but NBA officials are reviewing the case for possible further discipline.

The Cavaliers did all they could to work with West, who averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 assists in 25 minutes per game. He also dealt with a host of personal problems that coupled with his September gun arrest to serve as major distractions to the team, which lost to Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The young and rebuilding Timberwolves aren't interested in taking on a player with West's baggage. His $4.6 million contract will only cost Minnesota $500,000 if West is waived by Aug. 5, and that's what the Wolves plan to do.

Telfair, who played for Minnesota for two seasons after coming over from Boston in the Kevin Garnett trade in 2007, also likely will be traded or bought out.

The principle reason for the Wolves to make this deal was to alleviate log jams at both point guard and in the front court. The Wolves have Flynn returning and signed veteran Luke Ridnour to a four-year, $16 million deal last week. They have also brought in forward Michael Beasley and re-signed center Darko Milicic and have agreed to a three-year deal with center Nikola Pekovic that is expected to be announced any day now.

So there simply was no room for Sessions and Hollins.

"With the arrivals of Luke Ridnour, Michael Beasley, Nikola Pekovic and the signing of Darko Milicic, it was clear that Ramon and Ryan would have lesser roles this season if they were to remain," Kahn said in a statement. "This move provides them a better opportunity in Cleveland and adds to our flexibility both this season and beyond in relation to the salary cap."

-- Jon Krawczynski

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