*Report: Gasol and Odom likely traded for Chris Paul

Wowser - Details are being finalized that would send Chris Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets, and Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Rockets, ESPN is reporting. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com says that Paul-to-the-Lakers is "done."

From ESPN:

Sources previously told ESPN.com that the Lakers have made their willingness to deal forward Gasol for Paul clear to the Hornets, since L.A. is hoping to preserve Andrew Bynum to be the centerpiece of a trade offer for Orlando's Dwight Howard.

From Yahoo Sports:

If the Lakers were able to pull of this deal, it would leave the franchise with enough assets to still pursue Dwight Howard. The Orlando Magic might have interest in center Andrew Bynum as part of a larger package, especially if the Magic want someone to come down and clog up the middle. The other option for Orlando is to completely re-build post-Howard, and that would mean the Magic trade him to a place that can send back several first-round draft picks.

From the LAT, which quotes an unnamed source as saying it's a done deal:

Paul, 26, might be the best scoring-passing combo guard in the league and can even rebound well for a player listed at 6 feet, giving the Lakers their first dynamic point guard since Magic Johnson. Paul could have become a free agent next July, so the Hornets wanted to trade him before this season to avoid the distractions that befell the Denver Nuggets with Carmelo Anthony last season. Paul's contract calls for $16.4 million this season and a player option for $17.8 million next season. He will almost surely sign an extension with the Lakers.

*Edited post