Before the start of the shortened 2011 NBA season due to a lockout, former commissioner David Stern made a lot of headlines when he nixed the move that would've sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers following a trade with the league-owned New Orleans Hornets.

Five years after, Stern made a statement to clarify what really transpired during the fiasco and that the two other teams involved were infuriated due to the wrong impression made about it.

A three-team trade was agreed upon in principle that would've sent Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Rockets and veterans Kevin Martin, Luis ScolaLamar Odom, Goran Dragic and a 2012 first-round pick that Houston acquired from the New York Knicks all to New Orleans.

When the deal was scrapped, it left the involved players and teams' top brass in shock as those moves would've changed the future of each franchise. A few days after, training camps started and the players who were supposed to be traded had to attend while still in disbelief of what happened.

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The stunning turn of events in 2011 proved to be one of the NBA's most shocking moments in recent history. Five years later, the debate on how teams would've fared if the deal pushed through remains as something that splits the opinion of many.

Fans are just left to imagine what could have been for their teams if the league did not step in and cancel the big trade.