Chris Paul and Eric Gordon share memories of being traded for each other

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Now that they are finally teammates, as they were through much of Tuesday's first practice, Rockets guard Eric Gordon and Chris Paul have made a point to cite the road it took to get them there, specifically the 2011 deal in which they were traded for one another in one of the stranger NBA episodes in their careers.

The Hornets had reached an agreement to send Paul to the Lakers, but former NBA commissioner David Stern, acting as the owner of the Hornets, refused to sign off on the three-team trade that included the Rockets, citing "basketball reasons." Instead, the Hornets traded Paul to the Clippers for Eric Gordon.

"It's crazy," Gordon said. "We talked about it all summer. We went through that trade. Now, we're here as teammates. But I think we're both in a great situation where we really have a chance to win a championship. This is probably the best team both have us have been on."

They were not the only ones that had to regroup after Stern's decision only to end up on the Rockets. Rockets center Nene intended to sign with the Rockets as a free agent after the deal cleared the necessary cap space. He instead returned to Denver, not joining the Rockets until last season.