One of the best free agents available this offseason in the NBA is now off the books. Chris Paul has been traded to the Houston Rockets. His time with the Los Angeles Clippers is now up after six years. The stellar point guard is taking his talents to the Rockets to compete in the Western conference.
Details on the trade
The trade includes a swap between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets. The Rockets will be gaining Chris Paul, while the Clippers will be getting Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, and a first round pick in next year's draft.
The Rockets got a complete point guard, while the Clippers got plenty of players to build on. They got a great defensive player in Beverley, a decent player in Sam Dekker, and a great veteran in Lou Williams. They also got the first round trade pick, top 3 protected.
The Clippers did their job because they knew that Paul wanted to leave and most likely would. They got a lot of players in return and still have a good future ahead of them.
What this means for the Clippers
By the signs of what recently just happened, it looks to be that the big three will finally be split up after not accomplishing their goal of a championship for so many years. Fans could tell by the body language that the group should have split up a long time ago.
Rumors stated that Chris Paul was not a true leader and that the big three did not like each other.
Paul wants to win and this is what the trade means to him. He is a nine- time All-Star and a great defensive player. For his career, he has averaged about 19 points, about 10 assists, and 2 steals per game. Obviously, he loves LA, but knew that he was not going to win there.
There was a curse set down upon the organization. One of the big three of Paul, Griffin, and Redick, was always injured when it came down to the playoffs.
Blake Griffin is now most likely out of the organization as well. There is a chance that he just stays because they did get a lot of players in return and a pick. But, if he chooses to leave he could very well go to the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Miami Heat.
J.J. Redick is also going to leave the Clippers. The streaky shooter has plenty of destinations that he can end up at.
No matter what the team does, they can not replace Paul at this point. The Clippers still do not stand a chance against the Warriors, especially if Griffin and Redick choose to go.
Success or failure
There are some questions left to be answered though with the acquisition of Chris Paul. How will James Harden play now with Paul at the point? Can they both play well together? Only time will tell going into next season on how they will play together and if it was a good decision. It is a great decision for Chris Paul, a change of scenery is what he needs at this point in his career.
Carmelo Anthony's destination
With the Chris Paul trade this opens the door for Carmelo Anthony. He could now go to the Los Angeles Clippers and form a team there. He could go join CP3 in Houston, but that is unlikely because of the drama he had with the current Rockets coach years ago in Mike D'Antoni. CP3 gets to play with the coach of the year and a coach who made the Rockets great and Harden an even better player.
There is a high chance that Melo stays with the New York Knicks as well because of the recent firing of Phil Jackson. As well as him making the most money In New York and wanting to be close to his family there.
Rockets can compete with the Warriors
Rockets now have some firepower to compete with the Warriors.
They have Sixth Man of the Year shooter Eric Gordon, veteran center Nene, great forward Trevor Ariza, and three point shooter Ryan Anderson.
Since getting rid of three players in Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, and Patrick Beverley, they will be looking to sign another star and form a super team to possibly knock off the Warriors. They could pursue Gordon Hayward or look to signing Paul George to beat the champion Warriors.
The Warriors have caused these shifts possibly because of how dominant the Warriors are. Other teams are looking to get better.
