The Houston Rockets were always lurking as a dark horse to land free-agent-to-be Chris Paul and pair him with James Harden, but lacked the cap space to do it. Turns out, that wasn’t a problem.
The Rockets traded for Paul two days before free agency began, using a series of complex transactions to engineer a scenario where Paul opted in to the final year of his deal and they sent enough matching salary back to the Clippers to make it worth their while. Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, and a 2018 first-round pick are the main pieces the Clippers will get back, but there are more players in the deal to make the money work.
Read on for all the latest updates.
Chris Paul and James Harden is the mad science experiment the NBA needed
Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty ImagesThe NBA didn’t need to wait for the dawn of free agency on July 1 to seize the news cycle and send shockwaves throughout the sports world. Two days before he could have hit the open market, Chris Paul was reportedly traded to the Houston Rockets in a deal that immediately reshapes the league’s hierarchy.
The Rockets are adding one of the greatest point guards of all time to a team that won 55 games and finished third in the Western Conference last season. Paul will pair with James Harden to form the league’s most talented backcourt, a devastating one-two punch that — on paper at least — launches Houston into legitimate title contention.
Read Article >James Harden lobbied for the Rockets to acquire Chris Paul. It happened.
Photo by Harry How/Getty ImagesChris Paul is going to the Houston Rockets. A day after ESPN’s Marc Stein reported Houston was “an increasingly serious threat” to sign Paul, the Rockets completed a trade that will give them a second superstar.
Houston traded Sam Dekker, Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley and a top-3 protected first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft for Paul. Paul is opting in to his current deal which means he will be under contract in Houston for one season.
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