Clippers part ways with Paul
NBA TRADE: Superstar point guard will join Harden to help power the Rockets
The NBA landscape continues to change at a rapid pace and the latest shift saw Chris Paul, an all-time great point guard, leave the Los Angeles Clippers for the Houston Rockets. Paul, a perennial all-NBA team member and first ballot hall of famer in waiting, will team up with James Harden with the Rockets.
Paul told the Clippers, his home for years, that he was going to leave in free agency, allowing Doc Rivers and Co. to get some value out of his departure.
The Clippers will get Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker and a protected first-round pick next year.
There’s no question that Paul is a spectacular talent. The Clippers won 69 per cent of the games he played in last year, but he’s been injured often.
Meanwhile, Houston intends to pursue another star, such as Paul George.
For now, we wonder how Harden and Paul will coexist. Both thrive with the ball in their hands. Harden shifted to point guard this past season and emerged as an even more dominant force. He finished behind only former teammate Russell Westbrook in MVP voting as Houston’s offence surged.
Paul, meanwhile, has long been one of the NBA’s true maestros. Both are said to be fine with playing off the ball at times, which Harden did in Oklahoma City alongside Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
The Clippers intend to offer free agent Blake Griffin a huge deal to stay put.
The next huge NBA move is surely around the corner, with free agency set to open at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
Since 2014-15, Stephen Curry leads the NBA with 46.1 win shares. Second and third? Harden with 44.8 and Paul with 39.4.
One rich rookie
The Sacramento Kings will sign Bogdan Bogdanovic to a three-year, US$36 million contract, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Bogdanovic was drafted three years ago by Phoenix and has starred in Europe. He’s only 24, and this will be the biggest contract for any rookie in NBA history.
Still comfortable
New Raptors GM Bobby Webster was heavily involved in the previous collective bargaining agreement, but isn’t worried that the new one will be more difficult to comprehend since he didn’t help write it like the last one.
“There weren’t a ton of changes for the CBA, so a lot of it was my former bosses and colleagues at the league office who I had learned so much from in my previous job. It was just a lot of hours talking to them on the phone and making sure I understood it as well as I did last time,” Webster said.
Webster spent seven years with the NBA. Did he always think he wanted to work for a team and eventually become a GM?
“I think I’ve always been intrigued to come to a team … So there’s always been this intrigue and I think anyone who gets into this business either wants to be a GM or a coach,” Webster said.
Around the rim
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert crashed the Chicago Cubs White house visit. Gilbert, a staunch republican and Trump trailblazer, risked further angering his superstar, LeBron James, who backed Hillary Clinton … Kevin Durant will reportedly wait until Golden State has taken care of its other free agents before re-signing with the club. He’s expected to sign a new two-year deal, after the Warriors re-sign Andre Igoudala and Shaun Livingston … Paul is second all-time in win shares per 48 minutes (behind Michael Jordan), third in box plus-minus and trails only Magic Johnson and John Stockton in assists per game.