Via ESPN.com
The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to surrender Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in a trade for New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Sources close to the process tell Stein that the Houston Rockets remain part of the talks and are trying to complete a deal that would send Gasol in Houston and the Rockets' Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic to New Orleans along with Odom.
In Paul, the Lakers would be getting an All-Star and U.S. Olympic Team member who has averaged 37.1 minutes, 18.7 points and 9.9 assists a game in his six seasons.
Paul can opt out of his current contract with New Orleans after this season, and the Hornets have been fielding trade offers in an effort to acquire new players for the star guard rather than letting him walk in free agency.
Paul averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 assists last season.
The Rockets, who lost Yao Ming to retirement, covet Gasol, while the Hornets do not, increasing the likelihood Gasol won't stay in New Orleans, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.
Furthermore, the Rockets have young talent the rebuilding pieces Hornets general manager Dell Demps wanted in a trade for Paul, namely, young talent such as Martin and a protected future first-round pick Houston acquired from the New York Knicks. The Hornets would look to acquire that pick as part of the proposed deal, the source told Bucher.
