NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, July 26, 2010 (AFP) – New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul is excited about the NBA club's potential and said on Monday after a meeting with team officials that he wants to stay with the team.

Paul had been reportedly set to ask about a possible trade in the wake of seeing good friend LeBron James leave Cleveland for Miami, where he will join US Olympic team-mates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to form a formidable line-up.

But Paul, in a statement released by the club, said he was pleased after a meeting on Monday morning with new Hornets coach Monty Williams, team president Hugh Weber and new general manager Dell Demps.

"The meeting went well," Paul said. "It was great to get an opportunity to sit down with coach Williams, president Weber and our new general manager, Dell Demps.

"I expressed my desire to win and I like what they said about the direction that they want to take the team.

"I have been a Hornet my entire career and I hope to represent the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana for many years to come."

Demps said he was confident Paul would stay with the club. Paul, 25, has two years remaining on his contract before he could opt out to test the free agency market as James did this month.

"It was a very productive meeting. I was encouraged," Demps said. "It was the first time I met Chris. It was a good opportunity for us to open the lines of communication.

"Chris had some very good points. He was energetic. He was open. He was honest. He showed that he wants to win and that's what we want to do as well."

Just how they might improve to do that is unclear since the team is near the NBA salary cap and has said there are no plans to spend major amounts above the limit while the team is in the process of being sold by one ownership partner to another.

"I'm an optimist," Demps said. "I think that we'll sit down and evaluate the roster and look at all our pieces and move forward and do what's in the best interests of the organization."

ESPN reported that the Hornets had turned away trade pitches from several NBA clubs and that Paul has a new team of agents that include the same agent and business manager used by James.