Paul part of huge trade
The Clippers send the All-Star guard to Houston for seven players and a first-round pick
Chris Paul is heading to Houston to join James Harden, giving the Rockets 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 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.
“It’s a weapons race in the NBA and you’re either in the weapons race or on the sidelines,” Houston general manager Daryl Morey said. “We felt like with James Harden in his prime and Chris Paul in his prime this gives us a real shot to chase the juggernaut teams that are out there. This puts us right there with them.”
The Clippers and Houston will look far different next season than they did in again falling short in the playoffs. The roster overhauls came five days after Minnesota sent three players to Chicago for AllStar Jimmy Butler to kick things off with NBA free agency opening Saturday.
The 32-year-old Paul will be playing for his third team after opting in for the last year of his contract so the Clippers could work on a deal. He is a ninetime All-Star who has averaged 18.7 points, 9.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals over his 12-year career. The Clippers reached the postseason in each of Paul’s six seasons with the team but were eliminated in the first round three times and in the Western Conference semifinals three other times.
• Phil Jackson is out as New York Knicks president after he oversaw one of the worst eras in team history and feuded with star Carmelo Anthony.
Days after Jackson reiterated his desire to trade Anthony and said he would listen to deals for Kristaps Porzingis, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan reversed course and cut ties with Jackson on Wednesday.
“After careful thought and consideration, we mutually agreed that the Knicks will be going in a different direction,” Dolan said in a statement. “Phil Jackson is one of the most celebrated and successful individuals in the history of the NBA. His legacy in the game of basketball is unmatched.”
But the winner of an NBA-record 11 championships as coach couldn’t engineer one playoff berth while running the Knicks. The team was 80-166 in his three full seasons, including a franchise-worst 17-65 in 2014-15.
• Warriors guard Stephen Curry will play in Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae, that begins Aug. 3. It’ll be the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event for Curry, who has competed in celebrity events and pro-ams in the past. The Web.com circuit serves as a feeder program for the PGA Tour. Curry will maintain his amateur status since he’ll be competing on an unrestricted sponsor exemption.