According to reports, Chris Paul will be taking his talents to the Houston Rockets. The Clippers have agreed to a Sign And Trade deal in which Paul will be sent to the Rockets for Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, and a top three protected first round pick for the 2018 NBA Draft.
Why Houston?
Paul was reported saying that he did not like what he heard from the Clippers in terms of where the team was heading. He was going to opt out of his contract, but the Clippers convinced him to opt in to his final year that was worth $24.2 million, so that they could get something in return.
Chris Paul wanted to play with fellow All-Star, James Harden, so the Clippers were able to call up Houston and orchestrate a trade. Since Paul is being traded to Houston, he will be eligible for a contract up to $205 million after next season when his contract runs out.
What does this mean for the Clippers?
The Clippers could be tearing everything down. The Clippers had a core of Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and JJ Redick. With Paul gone, it's likely to think that Griffin will sign somewhere else. There were already reports that Redick was looking to cash in on a contract with the 76ers, or the Nets. After that is all said and done, the Clippers could also shop Jordan.
This will raise the question of how long will Doc Rivers remain the coach?
Rivers left Boston in 2013 because he did not want to be apart of a rebuilding project. That was the same year that Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry were traded in a deal that brought an abundance of draft picks. If Rivers was to leave the Clippers, it's unknown if he would stay in the league.
What does this mean for the Rockets?
It means that the Rockets will have Paul, Harden Trevor Ariza, Nene, and the Sixth Man of the Year, Eric Gordon. The question is this enough to beat the Warriors? Brian Windhorst reported that the Rockets could still make a run at Paul George of the Indiana Pacers.
As of now, this is a great trade for the Rockets, but they are still not good enough to beat out a four headed monster that the Warriors have.
The Rockets gave up a premier defender in Beverley, a solid bench player in Dekker, and a runner up for Sixth Man of the Year in Williams. Most forget that Williams could come off the bench and score 18 points on a night with Gordon. The Rockets must be banking on Ryan Anderson having a bounce back year, but if Houston wants to contend with Golden State, one more move must happen this summer.
