Chris Paul Joins the Houston Rockets

paul

Paul

It is official, The Los Angeles Clippers have traded Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, and a protected 2018 first round pick. The transaction took place on June 28, 2017.

Some people believe Paul is not a good fit for the Rockets because he, and his new teammate, James Harden are both dominant ball players. They need the ball in their hands in order to operate team offense. Others believe the Rocket’s defense may improve, due to having an on-ball defensive point guard in the starting lineup.

Paul is a floor general and will come in handy for the Rockets because he has better-scoring outlets now. He has three of the best 3-point shooters in the game today: Harden, Trevor Ariza, and Eric Gordon.

The Houston Rockets’ championship odds have increased from 30:1 to 15:1. NBA broadcaster and personnel Skip Bayless said that the trade will make the Rockets worse as a team. Many people think it was time for Houston to have a new look.

The 2016-17 Houston Rockets were not a championship caliber team. Their only All-Star was Harden. Gordon, Ariza, and the now traded Beverly were not enough for the Rockets to win the first round. Now, sources believe that this new lineup, including Paul, will at least make it to the Western Conference Finals.

Lately, there have been rumors that the Houston Rockets are looking to sign veteran small forward Carmelo Anthony. If they sign Anthony, they would hopefully have enough star power to compete with the Golden State Warriors.

As for the Clippers, trading away the Hall of Fame bound point guard, Paul was an emotional moment for the franchise. Doc Rivers, head coach and franchise president, said that he and Paul were good friends before the trade happened, and he hates the way it ended. Doc also said Paul informed him about the trade a couple of days before it was official. A number of other NBA franchises decided to pursue Paul, such as the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Written by Tyreese Butler
Edited by Jeanette Smith

Sources:

Bleacher Report: Forget Your Lame ‘One Ball’ Argument, Rockets Will Make Chris Paul Trade Work

NBA: LA Clippers trade Chris Paul to Houston Rockets

Top and Feature Image Courtesy of Isdev’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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