Clippers reject Paul deal, claim Billups

Chris Paul isn't coming to Los Angeles -- at least not now.

The Clippers Monday rejected a proposed deal by the New Orleans Hornets for the All-Star guard because the team felt "the cost was just too high," general manager Neil Olshey said.

Whether the deal is dead remains to be seen. The Clippers later claimed five-time All-Star Chauncey Billups off waivers. The 35-year-old point guard was waived by the Knicks during the weekend.

"Everything's over until it's reborn again," Olshey said. "New Orleans made a fair offer on their end. We didn't think that it was something that we wanted to pursue at this point."

Olshey declined to identify whom the Clippers had offered in exchange for Paul, but their package reportedly included center Chris Kaman, reserve guard Eric Bledsoe, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and their No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft. Reports suggested the Hornets also wanted guard Eric Gordon included.

"There wasn't one piece or another piece that killed this deal," Olshey said. "The aggregate compensation that we were going to have to convey to them was just too much and it was going to hamstring our franchise in the long term."

It's the second time in five days that a deal moving Paul to Los Angeles fell apart. Last week, NBA commissioner David Stern nixed a three-team trade by the league-owned Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets that would have sent Paul to the Lakers.

Billups averaged 16.8 points, 5.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 72 games with Denver and the Knicks last season.

Later in the day, the Clippers re-signed DeAndre Jordan and matched the Golden State Warriors' four-year, $42.7-million offer sheet. The 23-year-old center appeared in a career-high 80 games last season, averaging 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.78 blocks and making 66 starts.

Concussion policy starts

The NBA has put in place a concussion policy that will help determine when players return from head injuries. The league said Monday that the protocols went into effect with the start of training camps. The neurologist hired to lead its concussion program will be consulted before any player returns to competition. Players will undergo baseline testing each year that later can be used to assist in diagnosing concussions. Players, coaches and team medical personnel will take part in annual training. Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan, will serve as director of the NBA's concussion program.