Rockets get Paul in trade

Will join Harden in team’s backcourt

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.

In the NBA’s second blockbuster trade in less than a week, the Rockets acquired Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Kyle Wiltjer, a protected first-round pick next year and cash considerations. The Rockets acquired Hilliard from Detroit and Liggins from Dallas for cash considerations before adding them to the deal.

The Clippers and Houston will look far different next season than they did in falling short in the playoffs again just six weeks ago. The roster overhauls come five days after Minnesota sent three players to Chicago for All-Star Jimmy Butler.

Paul, 32, will play for his third team after opting 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.

In Houston, Paul joins a team 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.

But he will add another scoring dimension in replacing Beverley in the starting lineup. Beverley received NBA defensive first team honors last week, but averaged just 9.3 points in his five seasons with the Rockets. He’s the only Houston starter in the deal, with Williams and Dekker playing reserve roles last season.

Elsewhere

Cavaliers’ star LeBron James is teaming with Showtime on a documentary that will examine the modern NBA and the league’s impact on popular culture. James, who has been producing TV and movie projects for several years, will serve as an executive producer with longtime business partner Maverick Carter. The three-part documentary will be directed by filmmaker Gotham Chopra and premiere in 2018.