Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets Wednesday morning, officially ending “Lob City.”
The now-New Orleans Pelicans traded Paul to the Clippers in 2011 to join Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. They won at least 60 percent of their games each season but never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
Adrian Wojnarowski of “The Vertical” was the first to report this.
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
Fox Sports 1’s Chris Broussard provided further details from Paul’s camp:
Source close to CP3: decision was about best chance to win title. Met w/Clips for 90 minutes yesterday; later n day told them Houston
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) June 28, 2017
Source: CP3 wanted to give Clips chance to get compensation for him so he told them about Houston, rather than leaving them with nothing
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) June 28, 2017
It was originally reported that Paul had opted out of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent this summer. It turns out he agreed to opt-in and pave the way for a trade to the rumored-favorite Rockets.
The trade obviously gives the Rockets Paul, and in return, the Clippers will receive Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and a 2018 first-round pick.
The Rockets finished third in the Western Conference standings last year with a record of 55-27. The James Harden-led team also ranked second in the entire league in pace and offensive efficiency. With two players now on the team that averaged at least nine assists per game, the Rockets offense may be even scarier than before.
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