Blake Griffin announced that he was declining his option with the Los Angeles Clippers to become a free agent and news broke that Chris Paul would as well. However, in some huge NBA trade news, ESPN reported that the Clippers will trade Paul to the Houston Rockets for three players and a protected 2018 first round draft pick.

The Chris Paul trade

This huge move will help the Houston Rockets finally build that super team that they hinted at in order to compete with the Golden State Warriors in the 2017-18 NBA season. In exchange for Chris Paul, The Rockets will send the Clippers Sam Dekker, Patrick Beverly, and Lou Williams.

The Clippers will also get a top-three protected 2018 first round draft pick.

According to the reports, Chris Paul had a change of heart recently. Originally, the rumors indicated that Paul wanted to play for a team like the San Antonio Spurs. However, it turns out that Chris was planning to decline his option because he wanted to play for the Houston Rockets alongside James Harden.

A declining relationship with the Clippers

Chris Paul was the face of the Los Angeles Clippers for many years and he and Blake Griffin helped turn the team into actual playoff contenders every year. Before his arrival, the Clippers were long seen as one of the worst franchises in the NBA. However ever since Los Angeles brought in Austin Rivers, the son of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, word is that Paul's relationship with the team had soured.

Chris Paul gave the Los Angeles Clippers one last chance on Tuesday. After the meeting, Paul said he didn't like the direction the team was headed and said he was leaving via free agency when he declined his option. Because of their long-term relationship, Paul finally agreed to opt into his contract if they would trade him to the Houston Rockets.

Rockets cleared room for Chris Paul

The Houston Rockets are taking on Chris Paul's $24.2 million contract so they needed to make some more moves. Houston also picked up Ryan Kelly from the Atlanta Hawks as well as Tim Quarterman from the Portland Trail Blazers for cash considerations.

When this NBA trade is completed, the Houston Rockets will try to make one more move that could make the team as powerful as the Golden State Warriors. On top of adding Paul, the Rockets plan to make a hard run for Indiana Pacers' star Paul George to join James Harden and Chris Paul to help the team try to make an NBA Championship title run.