In major NBA rumors lately, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul has been mentioned quite a bit. As of Wednesday, it appears that the All-Star point guard who has spent his career with New Orleans and now Los Angeles will head to Houston in a sign and trade deal. That will unite "CP3" with his fellow All-Star and an NBA MVP contender, James Harden.

Here are the latest details on the Chris Paul trade to the Houston Rockets and how it may affect the Clippers and Western Conference.

Paul to Houston

ESPN reported on Wednesday afternoon that Houston will send Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverly, and Lou Williams to the Clippers along with a top-three protected 2018 first-round pick.

The Rockets will receive the All-Star guard, Chris Paul, in exchange for the player and pick package. Of the players dealt, Williams previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers and now will call the Staples Center home again with the other L.A. club.

As for Paul, the longtime Los Angeles Clippers star reported he would enter NBA free agency this summer. However, his top destination was reportedly the San Antonio Spurs. In more recent days and weeks, both the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets emerged as possible contenders for the "CP3" sweepstakes, as they had the potential to acquire the guard. Now the Rockets appear like they have done just that.

Paul's teammate Blake Griffin reported he plans to become a free agent as well.

Interested teams that have been reported include the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, among others. Will Griffin soon follow in his former teammate's footsteps?

Rockets improved?

Bringing a player of Chris Paul's caliber to many teams would be a major victory. However, one has to wonder about pairing him with fellow star guard James Harden.

It may create the potential to move Harden to a shooting guard position while CP3 runs the offense. However, it's well-known that both of these players enjoy having the ball in their hands to make plays late, or score.

The Chris Paul move to the Houston Rockets could improve their roster, but time will tell. By giving up Lou Williams they gave up a tremendous bench player who had come in and contended for Sixth Man of the Year award.

Williams' teammate Eric Gordon claimed the prize instead.

This latest Western Conference trade is strangely similar to a move made right after this past season's All-Star game where the Kings sent DeMarcus Cousins over the New Orleans Pelicans. Cousins joined fellow big man Anthony Davis, but the team struggled to win enough games to burst into the playoffs.

Will a similar fate befall Houston, or will this begin a process where they can bring in another big star to form a cliche "Super Team?" Time will tell if the CP3 and Harden experiment works in Houston's favor.
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