Eric Gordon would stay in LA, as would DeAndre Jordan. Those two for Howard will look quite attractive at the trade deadline.

and, um, Simmons had some foreshadowing of this one, before the initial Paul-to-Lakers veto:

L.A. CLIPPERS

The Trade: Chris Paul for DeAndre Jordan (extend-and-trade), Eric Bledsoe, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected no. 1 pick in 2012.

Additional Notes: There's a chance the Clips could sign Tyson Chandler (either with their extra cap space, or by dealing Chris Kaman to acquire that cap space) to reunite Paul and Chandler. Also, I'm proud of the Clips for refusing to include Eric Gordon (at least so far) in the discussions. (Something I worried about in a footnote of Day 3's column.) Their goal should be to end up with Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon … and figure out everything else later. By the way, the thought of having season tickets for multiple years of Paul/Griffin alley-oops just made me soil myself. I pray to everything that's holy that this trade happens.

The Verdict: The Jordan piece worries me. What if he doesn't want New Orleans? What if he wants to stay with the Clips? What if some other team offers him crazy money ($50 million or more)? It's too shaky of a variable. Then again, would Bledsoe, Aminu, Minny's no. 1 pick and a second no. 1 pick be enough to steal Paul? It's possible, right? I'm as amazed as you are — there's a legitimate chance that the Los Angeles Clippers could get Chris Paul.

(Hold on, I have to change my pants.)

(Couple more seconds.)

(And we're back.)

One Other Variable That Scares Me: Everyone keeps forgetting that the NBA still owns the Hornets. I know the league gave Demps the authority to make every move, but still … if you're David Stern and Adam Silver, are you that excited about building a possible juggernaut for the Clippers, the same franchise that's owned by the single most loathsome NBA owner of the past 30 years (and someone who wasn't exactly pro-Stern during the lockout)? Do you really want Donald Sterling to own one of your signature teams? Wouldn't you rather steer Paul toward the Lakers or Warriors?