Rockets to acquire Paul from Clippers

Chris Paul is heading to Houston to join James Harden, and the Rockets will soon have two all-stars in the backcourt to lead their chase for a championship.

The Rockets have reached an agreement to acquire Paul from the Clippers in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker and a protected first-round pick next year, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The pick is only protected if Houston’s pick lands in the first three of the 2018 draft, according to the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t finalized the trade with free agency coming up on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Paul opted in for the last year of his contract so the Clippers could work on a deal.

The nine-time all-star has averaged 18.7 points, 9.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals over his 12-year career, though he has been dogged with criticism in recent years for failing to help the Clippers get out of the second round of the playoffs.

The Clippers were eliminated in the first round the past two seasons and are likely to look much different next season.

In Houston, Paul joins a team led by Harden that was eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals last season. With Harden’s move to point guard last season, Paul’s role will probably be a bit different than it has been in Los Angeles.