Chris Paul has been rumored to be traded for the last three seasons. At a certain point, it was hard envisioning him ever leaving the Clippers. Former NBA commissioner David Stern even vetoed a trade to the Lakers in 2011.
Well, CP3 finally got dealt. A Woj Bomb Wednesday morning sent shockwaves around the NBA. Houston GM Daryl Morey landed Paul in a deal with Jerry West and the Clips. All the Rockets had to give up was Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker and a first round pick.
Collecting superstars is the only feasible approach to conquering the Warriors. It’s also a dangerous plunge that will likely end in pain and agony next May during the Western Conference Finals. James Harden and Paul give Houston two stars, and there’s a rumor surfacing that Houston is zeroing in on Paul George. Morey’s thought process: why not go down swinging? Golden State doesn’t seem as insurmountable with a Paul-Harden-George Olympian trio. An injury to Kevin Durant or Steph Curry could momentarily open a window for the Rockets.
Acquiring stars are not opportunities that come around often. Morey has now landed Harden and Paul in a five-year span. That’s pretty damn impressive. He knows he needs at least a third — and probably fourth — bonafide top 20 player to compete with Bob Myers and Steve Kerr. It’s a bold but necessary move from Morey considering the landscape.
Still… The Warriors still have the best 3-pointer shooter of all-time (Curry), the greatest pure scorer of his generation (Durant), the second best 3-point shooter of all-time and one of the most underrated wing defenders in the league (Klay Thompson), and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Draymond). The Warriors will take their four stars against any team assembled. Even if Andre Iguodala leaves via free agency, these four appear unbreakable. Who will Houston have guarding KD? That’s the ultimate problem not even LeBron James could solve in the NBA Finals.
Still… This trade isn’t automatically going turn water into wine at the Toyota Center. The Rockets are betting on Paul and Harden thriving together. It definitely can work, but there are also reservations and there could be serious speed bumps early in the season. Both players have always operated with the basketball in their hands. Harden is coming off the best season of his career playing the point guard position, finishing second in the MVP voting. He’s become one of the best passers in the game under Mike D’Antoni, who won coach of the year mostly for the upgrades he made in Harden’s game. The Beard finished first in the league with 11.2 assists per game.
Still…Paul is still one of the best point guards in the league and was named first-team all defense earlier this week. Reports say he’s looking forward to playing more off the ball, but that sounds rosy in the offseason. CP3 also has a swift mid-range game; D’Antoni’s system is only about 3s and layups. And remember this: Paul’s been on nine all-star teams, but he’s never played a game in a Western Conference Finals. Asking him to beat the Warriors during his first go-round in Houston is the tallest task of his career. And he’s not getting any younger.
The Warriors are obviously going to welcome this challenge with open arms. They enjoy beating the Rockets more than other teams for some reason. This trade puts more defensive pressure on Curry, who will now likely shadow Paul. Previously against the Clippers, he’d match up mostly with J.J. Redick and against the Rockets it would be Beverley. Golden State probably wouldn’t sweep the new-look Rockets, but as Draymond Green says, it would be a Quickie.
The real story from this trade is that Paul’s bringing his Bird rights with him from Los Angeles. Next offseason, he’ll be eligible to get the $205 million hometown max contract from Houston — or he can leave in free agency. At this current time, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Paul are all set to become free agents together in 2018. There would be 26 teams lining up to trade their entire roster for the four best friends. They theoretically could choose a city to play together and make one last run together against the Warriors.
Could that landing spot be the Clippers? West left Golden State’s front office and seems to be clearing a path for superstars to land safely. There is a conflict of interest, though. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is set on building a new arena for his franchise. If Los Angeles also rids themselves of Blake Griffin, it’ll put them in tanking mode for this season, it’ll hurt Ballmer’s pockets and it could force Doc Rivers into an early retirement. West is about to navigate through a series of moves that’ll change the identity of the Clippers.
The offseason is still young, but the Warriors are perfectly content sitting back and watching the storm. The rest of the league is scrambling to try and drastically upgrade their roster. Golden State is just waiting to see what happens with Andre Iguodala. Any other free agent can be replaced seamlessly. That’s the foundation Myers and Kerr have built, the foundation the Rockets are trying to penetrate.