James Harden‘s recruting pitch to Chris Paul evidently worked, and Doc Rivers cites CP3’s desire to play with Harden as the main reason he was traded to Houston.
Doc Rivers on CP trade: "At the end of the day, when you lose a CP, it’s a big loss. I thank him for the years he was here."
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 29, 2017
Doc on CP “He left because he wanted to be with James Harden. Let’s not get that twisted. I wish him well. I have no problem with that.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 29, 2017
Doc cont: "Do I disagree? Yeah, I think he would have been better served here. But that’s not for me.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 29, 2017
Doc cont: "That’s CP to decide and he decided against that.”
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 29, 2017
Rivers disputed reports that Paul grew disenchanted with his stewardship of the Clippers, and claimed that the team did “terrific” in the blockbuster swap with the Rockets.
Doc says he hates the way the CP3 era came to an end in Los Angeles.
Per the LA Times:
Less than 24 hours after informing Clippers officials of his wishes, Paul was traded to the Rockets on Wednesday in exchange for seven players and a 2018 first-round draft pick.
Before the deal happened, he opted back in — earlier he had opted out — to his $24-million contract for next season, which saved the Rockets time and money.
Beyond the typical “how it leaves the Clippers/what it does for the Rockets” discourse, the move prompted an additional response in some of the league’s front offices. In summary, something along the lines of: “Hmmm. That was fast.”
“Every team is looking for an advantage,” one executive said. “The deal got done way too fast for somebody not to be talking already. That happened real quick. But hey, that’s how it goes in this league.”
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