After six years with the Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul is on his way to the Houston Rockets, and he didn't even wait until the start of free agency to make his move. As first reported by The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, when Paul told the Clippers he intended to sign with Houston, they convinced him to opt in to the final season of his contract and then negotiated a trade for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell and a 2018 first-round pick.
Let's grade the trade.
Houston Rockets
Rockets receive Chris Paul
As much as this has been rumored over the past couple of weeks, it's hard to believe this actually happened. Paul is a future Hall of Famer, one of the best point guards in NBA history, and there is no better floor general in the league. His style, however, is surgical. He controls possessions, manipulates opposing defenders and is precise in everything he does. As he joins Mike D'Antoni's pace-and-space system, something will have to give.
You can't argue with the Rockets seizing an opportunity to grab one of the most skilled, smart and competitive players on the planet. The question, however, is how he fits. D'Antoni turned superstar James Harden into a point guard last season, and the results were spectacular. He almost won MVP, and Houston scored 111.8 points per 100 possessions, one of the best marks in NBA history. It will be extremely difficult to improve on that mark, and with Paul on the roster, Harden will no longer be the primary playmaker on most possessions. As brilliant as Paul is, there is risk in getting away from the simple formula that worked so well: Harden playing the Steve Nash role in D'Antoni's system.
There would also have been risk, however, in running it back. In the second round of the playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs, the Rockets looked predictable and Harden looked tired. In a league where the very best teams are stacked with transcendent talent, the Harden Show was probably never going to lead to a title. Paul will relieve some of the pressure on him, and he will provide the same excellent defense that Beverley did. Houston general manager Daryl Morey is betting that the two guards will find ways to make each other even better, but even if they don't, having at least one of them on the court at all times is a scary thought for opposing teams.
The difficulty in grading this trade immediately is that we don't know what kind of domino effect it will have. Morey is trying to swing big this summer, and part of that plan is apparently to use Paul's presence to attract another star to the team. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that the Rockets are targeting Paul George in a trade, and, dang, that would be interesting.
Houston did not pay an exorbitant price to acquire a player of Paul's caliber, though you could argue that it shouldn't have had to give up that first-round pick because of the Clippers' lack of leverage. While there are a bunch of unanswered questions about how Paul fits and what comes next, this at least has the potential to vault the Rockets into the league's top tier. The whole NBA world will be curious to see how this partnership plays out. Grade: A
Los Angeles Clippers
Clippers receive Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Wiltjer, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, 2018 first-round pick, cash
After endless speculation about whether the Clippers' core would be dismantled, the Paul era is finally, officially, over. Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick are free agents, and regardless of whether or not they come back, the team will look dramatically different next season. Paul was always the engine of the team on the court, and his personality and influence inside the organization shaped both how it was perceived and how it operated.
It hurts to lose Paul to a rival, but this is much, much better than him walking and them getting nothing in return. Beverley, named first team All-Defense on Monday, is owed just $10.5 million over the next two seasons, which makes him one of the biggest bargains in the league. Williams was a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, and he's making just $7 million on an expiring contract. Dekker has two more seasons on his rookie deal, and Harrell make just $1.5 million next season before becoming a restricted free agent. (Liggins and Hilliard are on non-guaranteed contracts and are expected to be waived. Houston acquired them in separate trades Wednesday in exchange for cash in order to send them to Los Angeles to make this deal work under the collective bargaining agreement.)
If the Clippers retain Griffin and try to be competitive, then these guys should keep them in the playoffs. If they don't, then at least they have options. Williams fetched the Lakers a first-round pick at last year's deadline, and there's no reason for his value to have gone down now. There aren't a ton of teams looking for starting point guards, but Beverley is the rare 3-and-D guy at that position, which is what made him such a great fit next to Harden. Other teams with ball-dominant wings would be wise to go after him if he becomes available. Dekker and Harrell are young and helpful role players.
Without knowing what comes next for the Clippers, it's difficult to say what this particular package will end up doing for them. Given that Paul had apparently decided not to return, though, it's impressive that they were able to get this much back. You can criticize the front office endlessly for how it failed to provide Paul, Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Redick with the right role players to win a championship, and you can lament the injuries that have derailed them in the playoffs over the past couple of seasons, but the moment that Paul told them he wanted to go to Houston, that could have been it. Instead, they found a way to make a deal that helps them. That's why, even though the talent isn't anywhere close to equal, I'm not going to blast Los Angeles here. Grade: B
