Houston Rockets: Complete 2017 offseason grades

The Chris Paul trade

The big move the Rockets made this summer was the trade for Chris Paul. It was a very complicated trade, but in the end the major pieces involved in the deal were as follows:

The Rockets sacrificed a significant amount of their bench depth in this trade, but wanted to complete it before free agency began so they could use Paul as a recruiting chip for free agent targets.

The Los Angeles Clippers did well to get several rotation pieces, intriguing young players, and a first round pick (top-three protected) for a player that was leaving regardless. Patrick Beverley is playing on one of the best contracts in the league, Lou Williams is an excellent sixth man and Sam Dekker could blossom into a starter-quality combo forward. Montrezl Harrell showed some offensive prowess this past season as a spot starter and quality backup center.

For the Rockets though, they landed a second star to pair with Harden. As is the case in today’s NBA, a team needs multiple stars in order to truly compete for a championship. Of course there are questions surrounding the fit of Paul next to Harden, but as I have written previously, there are plenty of reasons to believe the two can fit well together.

With Paul taking some ball-handling and playmaking duties, Harden will have more energy to compete on the defensive end. Mike D’Antoni has already said there won’t be a moment in any game in which both Harden and Paul are on the bench, revealing that he will stagger the minutes of the two star guards, allowing them each ample time to run the offense.

Paul and Harden now form one of the best — and certainly most intriguing — backcourts in the entire NBA. The two seem motivated to play with each other and contend for a championship, and this trade was the first step in doing so.

Grade: A