HoopsHype.com Rumors

True or not, Del Negro believes Paul got him fired, according to a source close to the Clippers' ex-coach. The source added that Del Negro had no idea during the regular season or the playoffs that Paul wanted him out. On an appearance on the Dan Patrick radio show, Del Negro implied on Thursday that Paul was the reason he was let go. ESPN.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Vinny Del Negro 

But a source with knowledge of the situation said Paul refused to get involved in the Clippers' coaching situation and that he wanted nothing to do with the decision to retain or release Del Negro. "Chris made it abundantly clear to the Clippers that he did not want to be involved in any decision about Vinny's future," the source said. "And Blake had nothing to do with it, either." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Vinny Del Negro 

One source added that Paul is also steering clear of the Clippers' search for a new coach. The Clippers have a short list of Jeff Van Gundy, Brian Shaw and Byron Scott, according to a source. They are also considering asking the Nuggets for permission to interview coach George Karl. ESPN.com

Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Byron Scott, George Karl, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Jeff Van Gundy 

If Paul considers leaving the Clippers, the Atlanta Hawks would be a potential landing spot. Paul always has been fond of the city of Atlanta, and the Hawks have the cap room to sign both Paul and Dwight Howard, a Lakers free agent, to lucrative contracts. Paul and Howard have spoken in the past about joining forces, but once Paul was traded to the Clippers in December 2011 and Howard was moved to the Lakers last summer, the duo figured that possibility was dead. Howard, an Atlanta native, has been lukewarm at best about the idea of playing in his hometown. But the possibility of playing with Paul almost would certainly get him to rethink his position. ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard 

Vinny Del Negro appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday, and spent a segment almost 10 minutes long discussing how his tenure ended with the Los Angeles Clippers. The assumption that Chris Paul had as much to do with Del Negro not being brought back as anything (remember, technically he wasn’t fired; his contract only ran through the end of this season) was hinted at being true by Clippers owner Donald Sterling, and Del Negro similarly hinted at it during the first portion of this interview. NBCSports.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul, Vinny Del Negro, Coaching, Donald Sterling, Owners 

During an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Tuesday, Del Negro was asked point blank about how much of a role he thought CP3′s free agency played in the Clippers not bringing him back. Del Negro seemed to subtly admit Paul wanted a new coach while boasting about what the point guard accomplished under his watch. “Well, Chris is a free agent. They were compelled to make a decision. He’s entitled to his opinion. But he made first-team All-NBA both seasons on defense and on offense, and I believe that’s the first time he’s done that in his career. We set every franchise record. In saying that, he’s a free agent and he’s going to have a lot of say so on a lot of things as he did the previous summer when we put the team together,” said Del Negro. Patrick turned it up a notch and asked Del Negro about CP3 more directly. Larry Brown Sports

Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul, Coaching 

“Do you think Chris Paul did not want you back?” he asked. “Oh I don’t know. I don’t think I need to get into that. It’s behind me,” Del negro answered. Larry Brown Sports

Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul, Coaching 

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan doesn't want to be mired in the rebuilding process forever. If the No. 4 pick could net him an established low-post scorer, he'd bite. Cousins would be more of a "Plan C" for the Mavs if both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard decide not to join the Mavs this summer, but Cousins would give them a young presence in the paint to build around. ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Trade, Chris Paul, Michael Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, Owners 

In this, a great summer of celebration, one notable local NBA star could be paying the league a visit -- Clippers guard Chris Paul. The All-NBA first teamer said via his Twitter account on Sunday morning that he’s looking forward to paying the league a visit this summer. FoxSportsWest.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul 

Mark Cuban's goal is to make the Dallas Mavericks a championship team again within a two-year window. After Dallas missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, the owner vowed the Mavs would have a "quick rebuild." The pending pitch to free agents this summer -- including Chris Paul and Dwight Howard -- is that the franchise can take a significant step forward next season and then have the salary-cap space available again in 2014 to make more major upgrades. ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Mark Cuban, Owners 

Mark Cuban, on whether any potential options -- left unsaid: Chris Paul -- have been eliminated since the end of the season: "No, not at all. Nothing has really changed. Our approach has always been to be opportunistic and explore all of our options and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We haven’t closed any doors, and as far as we know, there haven’t been any doors that have been closed to us. We’re just going to run them all out there and see what happens.” ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Mark Cuban, Owners 

Now that the Los Angeles Clippers have refused to offer coach Vinny Del Negro a new contract, a source said Wednesday that the Dallas Mavericks believe they have a better chance of acquiring Dwight Howard than acquiring Chris Paul. Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard 

“I think Chris Paul, depending on who [the Clippers] hire, is going to stay with the Clippers,” the source said. “The Mavericks are really interested in Chris Paul, but I think they want Dwight more. They think they can make them a point guard.” The source said two point guards who interest the Mavs are Golden State’s Jarrett Jack and Memphis’ Jerryd Bayless. Both players figured prominently in their teams’ runs in the current playoffs, and both will become free agents in July. Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard 

It was All-Star Weekend in Houston when Dwight Howard and Chris Paul – the two prize members of the NBA free-agent class — among others were in town. The perfect time for the Rockets’ star James Harden to add recruiter to his repertoire. “I’ve built some friendships these last couple years, this summer and throughout the time playing,” Harden told the Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. “They know what kind of person I am, how hard-working I am, knowing I want to win. I hope that becomes a factor of wanting to come to Houston and trying to win championships.” Houston Chronicle

Houston Rockets, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, James Harden 

Darnell Mayberry: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant have been named to the All-NBA First Team. Twitter @DarnellMayberry

Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan 

Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks ranks third with U.S. retail sales of $40 million for his Jordan Melo M9. Anthony is part of the Jordan Brand roster, which also includes Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Forbes.com

Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony, Sneakers, Russell Westbrook 

The hope is to sell Howard or Chris Paul -- who would each have to sacrifice a fifth year on the max contract that he could get from the Lakers and Clippers, respectively -- on the possibility of building a championship contender. "We'd love to get one of the main guys," Nowitzki said last week. "It's going to be tough to get them out of the situation that they're in. I think that's pretty easy [to see]. I think both are in L.A., where you want to play basketball, and both are in great positions and situations. We'll just have to wait and see." ESPN.com

Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Draft, Trade, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard 

A league source says Chris Paul will check out other teams, as Howard is expected to do. If Paul leaves, it could could pose a problem for the Lakers, who had enough already, if he and Dwight Howard decide to create a new option, joining up in Atlanta. Howard and Paul are pals. The Hawks can open up two maximum slots. They mused about Atlanta (D12’s from there, CP3 from North Carolina) years ago, before fate led them in other directions. Lakers Nation

Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard 

Grunwald confirmed the Knicks are unable to do a sign-and-trade for free agents Chris Paul or Dwight Howard because of new collective bargaining agreement rules forbidding luxury taxpayers from partaking in free agency. They only have the $3.1 million mini-midlevel exception, plus the 24th overall pick in June’s draft. New York Post

New York Knicks, Free Agency, Trade, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard 

Coaching sources have maintained for weeks that Golden State assistant Michael Malone will be high on the Clippers' list since he and Paul have a good relationship from their days together in New Orleans, where Malone was an assistant under Monty Williams. Paul holds Malone in very high regard, as does James, his friend and agency-mate at CAA. Speaking of Williams, word is that Paul would love to join forces with him in L.A., but Williams is under contract and the chances of him being made available to discuss a lateral move are remote. CBSSports.com

Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Chris Paul, Coaching, Monty Williams, Mike Malone