LA Clippers deserve credit for getting value in CP3 trade
By Tushar Bahl
The LA Clippers have agreed to trade Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker & a 2018 1st-round pick.
A month ago, the prospect of Chris Paul not donning a LA Clippers jersey next season was beyond unfathomable. But the unthinkable has happened and “the Point God” will be playing in Houston next season.
And while many people may not be happy with the departure of one of the NBA’s best point guards, the Clippers deserve praise for getting what they did for him, especially when he could have gone for nothing in free agency.
In Patrick Beverley they get a volatile and gritty guard who was recently named in the NBA All-Defensive First Team alongside Paul. The 28-year old managed 4.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. Sam Dekker was drafted by the Rockets in 2015 as the 18th overall pick. After missing much of his debut season through injury, Dekker played 77 games last season averaging 18 minutes a game. He managed 6.5 points, 1.0 assist and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Lou Williams is a similar player to Jamal Crawford. He managed 14.9 points, 2.4 assists and 3 rebounds for the Rockets last season. It’s very likely that either Williams or Crawford will be traded as the Clippers look to bolster their roster in the off-season. But the 30-year old could prove to be a solid 6th man for the Clips.
The LA Clippers also get a top 3 protected first round pick which could prove to a valuable asset come 2018. So while the fans might not like it now, the Clippers could well reap the benefits of this trade in the future. Not to mention, they could have $70m+ in cap space for 2018. With Jerry West at the helm, it will be interesting to see where the Clippers go from here.