Chris Paul could file a lawsuit "in the next couple of days” charging the NBA, which owns and runs the Hornets, with collusion and violating the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The NBA’s labor deal has an anti-collusion clause that prohibits teams from conspiring with the league to influence contracts, signings or transactions.

If he proceeds, Paul would likely seek doubled monetary damages, along with injunctive relief, meaning he would ask the court to stop the collusion immediately and allow a trade to go through to the Lakers or Clippers.

Both those teams have seen their trade efforts in recent days blocked by the NBA, which is enduring a PR nightmare involving one of its marquee players. While Paul has been practicing with a skeletal team, consisting mainly of D-League caliber players, his representatives, lawyers and officials of the NBA Players Association met for several hours Monday to discuss taking the league to court in an effort to get him out of New Orleans.