Three weeks after LeBron James announced “The Decision,” the biggest signing of the day was Matt Barnes agreeing to join the Lakers for a one-year deal worth $1.7 million. Not exactly a headline-grabber right? But hold on – Chris Paul apparently wants out of New Orleans, and his supposed ideal scenario is to join the New York Knicks with Amar'e Stoudemire already in tow and Carmelo Anthony possibly on the way.

Although Paul wants to play for a championship contender, the Hornets have some good pieces. Point guard Darren Collison played well last season in Paul's absence, and Marcus Thornton emerged as a good shooter for New Orleans last season. Since both of those players are rookies, it will take them a few years to reach the peaks of their respective careers. The Hornets are not in a position to compete for a championship anytime soon, and perhaps rebuilding the team would be in New Orleans' best interest.

The Hornets want to unload Emeka Okafor's unpalatable contract in a Paul trade, though, and all New York has to offer is Eddy Curry's expiring contract. No Knick outside of Stoudemire and Curry will receive more than $4 million this year. Moreover, Anthony bypassing on a standing contract extension offer from the Denver Nuggets would also be a huge risk. The collective bargaining agreement will expire after this season, and it is fairly safe to say that regardless of what changes will be made, one of them will be that the players won't receive as much money as they are accumulating now. The Knicks just don't have enough pieces to accommodate Paul and Okafor.

The Orlando Magic are also said to be on Paul's short list, and that could cause problems for the Heat. A trade consisting of Paul and Okafor in exchange for Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson could conceivably work, and Magic coach Stan Van Gundy would have a couple of options when dealing with the starting lineup. He could bring in either J.J. Redick or Quentin Richardson to start at the two, shift Rashard Lewis to the three and start Okafor at the four. Van Gundy could also start Redick and Richardson at the wing positions and leave Lewis at the four. A back-up front-line of Mickael Pietrus, Okafor and Marcin Gortat could start for some teams.

More broadly, Paul would thrive in the Magic's offensive system that relies on the pick-and-roll offense and features a plethora of shooters. Paul turned Tyson Chandler into a pretty good big man; imagine what he could do for Dwight Howard. Redick, Richardson, Lewis and Pietrus are all lethal three-point shooters, and everything compounds on itself because Orlando is strongest in the Miami Heat's two weak spots – point guard and center. The Magic could cause some problems for Miami this year.

The problem from a New Orleans point of view is that it already has Collison; why would it need Nelson? Both of those guards are 6-feet tall, so neither of them could move to the two. Dallas and Portland were also mentioned on Paul's short list, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has a lot of contracts he'd be willing to unload in a Paul trade. I actually want to see Paul go to the Mavericks because besides a Lakers vs. Heat Finals match-up, I would love to see Dwyane Wade annihilate Dallas again. Portland may trade away one of its big men, but it also needs to know that Greg Oden has played in just 82 games for his entire career.

Heat fans should hope that Paul ends up anywhere but Orlando or Los Angeles. Conflicting reports have surfaced that the Lakers could pursue Paul, and even if Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak gives up Andrew Bynum, it would be a formidable team. Paul and Kobe Bryant would form the best back-court in the League with Ron Artest, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol making up the front-line. Los Angeles also bolstered its front-line with recent acquisitions of Barnes and Theo Ratliff, and Okafor could also be included in the deal. It is important to note that Bynum alone could not get Paul to the City of Angels. The losses of Odom and Bynum would mitigate the influx of talent for the Lakers in a Paul trade.

Aside from Orlando and the Lakers, Heat fans should not worry. As I said, I want him to go to Dallas. He and Jason Kidd would start (the Mavs started Devin Harris and Jason Terry in 2006). Either Caron Butler or Shawn Marion would be included in the trade, but both of them are dynamic players. Dirk Nowitzki would be the starting power forward and Brendan Haywood would stay at the five. Second only to the chance to dethrone to the two-time champs, what Heat fan wouldn't want to see a Heat vs. Mavs Finals encore?

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