Hornets coach: Don't trade Paul

WESTWEGO, La. (AP) — Monty Williams would rather not contemplate making his NBA head coaching debut without Chris Paul.

So with trade talks intensifying as they often do in the final days before the NBA draft, Williams made it clear on Tuesday that he expects his new employers to turn down whatever offers they get for their biggest star.

“Chris was the main thing that excited me about this job,” Williams said after a pre-draft workout Tuesday at the Hornets’ suburban training center. “So many people are begging for a point guard. You’re talking about the best one in the game. I couldn’t envision being here without Chris.”

The Hornets have the 11th overall pick in Thursday night’s draft and likely could move up if they decided to deal their three-time All-Star.