Chris Paul is reportedly set to become a member of the Houston Rockets, but not in the way most envisioned it happening.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Paul agreed to not opt out of the final year of his deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and will be traded to Houston.
After Chris Paul agreed to opt-in on contract, Clippers are trading All-Star guard to the Houston Rockets, league sources tell @TheVertical
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 28, 2017
Wojnarowski adds that Paul had informed the Clippers he intended to sign with the Rockets in free agency, so the two sides agreed to work out a trade instead.
Sources: After Paul informed Clippers he'd sign w/ HOU in FA, teams agreed to deal sending Beverley, Decker, Williams and 2018 FRP for Paul. https://t.co/9Lk9FPEPbu
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 28, 2017
The trade works out for both Paul and the Clippers, as L.A. gets something for him and Paul’s Bird Rights will transfer with him to Houston. That means he is now eligible to sign the same $205 million max contract with the Rockets that he could have signed with the Clippers.
On paper, the Rockets may now have the best scoring backcourt in NBA history. James Harden is coming off a career year in his first season under Mike D’Antoni and finished second in the MVP voting. He averaged 29.1 points, 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. Paul averaged 18.1 points and 9.2 assists with L.A.
The biggest question now for the Clippers will be where Blake Griffin ends up, as he is also eligible to opt out of his contract and has been linked to several other teams.
