"As the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors appear unwilling to include their young stars in a trade for Chris Paul(notes), the New Orleans Hornets were redoubling their research of Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo(notes) as a possible centerpiece of a blockbuster deal, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Celtics have relentlessly pursued Paul and have presented the Hornets with as many as eight different scenarios that would bring them some combination of Rondo, Jeff Green(notes), two future No. 1 picks and additional talent from third teams, sources said.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers believe they can sell Paul on re-signing with Boston for the long-term and desperately want him as the franchise star of their post-Big 3 era."