The Houston Rockets are considering blowing up their team by moving Clint Capela and/or Chris Paul. Should the Detroit Pistons be interested in CP3?
Just a year ago the Detroit Pistons were watching with the rest of the NBA world as the Houston Rockets pushed the Golden State Warriors to game seven of the Western Conference Finals. Many fans and analysts believe that the Rockets would have won that series if Chris Paul hadn’t gotten hurt.
Paul, after all, was having an amazing playoff run. He ended last years playoff run averaging 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.0 steals per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Fast forward to this year…
Paul was not the same player.
CP3 experienced dips in his statistics and percentages across the entire board, including averaging a career-low 15.6 points during the regular season. When the playoffs rolled around, not much was changing.
Paul still is one of the best passers the game has ever seen and has one of the highest IQ’s the game has ever seen. However, it’s fair to question whether this season was a sign that Paul is now over the hill at the age of 33, instead of just a bad year he can recover from.
After losing to the Warriors again in the playoffs, this time in six games with no Kevin Durant, general manager Daryl Morey is ready to make big changes.
Reports say the Rockets may be looking to blow everything up outside of Harden, looking specifically at the market of Paul and Clint Capela.
Of course, every team’s fans are going to go straight to the ESPN Trade Machine when such a household name like Chris Paul pops up on the trade market.
So, the question here, of course, is this: Should the Detroit Pistons be interested in CP3?
In a short and quick answer, no. Not really.
The main reason why the Pistons shouldn’t be interested in Paul is his contract. Over the next three years, Paul will be getting paid 38, 41, and 44 million dollars, respectively. That is insane.
If Paul exhibited that he was still the same player as last year, it’d be easier to stomach. And maybe last year was just a down year and the injury at the beginning of the season slowed his start.
Maybe CP3 returns next year to who he was in 2017-18.
But with a team in cap hell like the Pistons, I’m not sure that’s a risk you’d wanna take. It’d be close to impossible for the Pistons to build a trade package for Paul without giving up one of their twin towers up front.
There’s also the fact that Blake Griffin has already played with Paul, and they didn’t seem to end on good terms over in Los Angelas.
Should the Detroit Pistons kick tires on CP3? Sure, why not. Wouldn’t hurt to call and see what the market is looking like for him.
But, I don’t think a trade for CP3 should ever be seriously considered unless the Rockets lose their mind and give the Detroit Pistons a deal that doesn’t include either of their twin towers franchise players.
Oh, and Blake would have to say he’s okay with playing with him again. So yeah, don’t start the trade machine deals for CP3, please.