The NBA world has been inundated by rumors for the past few weeks, but they say it's always the moves you don't hear about that end up happening. Such was the case Wednesday morning, when the Houston Rockets swept in to steal All-Star point guard Chris Paul away from the Los Angeles Clippers, sending Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and a 2018 first-round pick back to L.A.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Rockets are not stopping now, however, as they reportedly have their sights set on Paul George. Windhorst appeared on SportsCenter following the trade and noted that Rockets GM Daryl Morey has a vision of bringing in both Chris Paul and Paul George.
"When the dust all settles, will anybody be standing there to try to compete with the Warriors? The Rockets are trying to make an audacious move to do that. I'm sure at this very second they are pitching Paul George. They are pitching the Indiana Pacers. 'Come to Houston, sign a contract extension, get the deal done. Chris Paul, James Harden and Paul George, come together and let's try to beat the Golden State Warriors.' That's what's happening right now. Whether or not they can pull it off, we'll see.
His vision is to bring Paul George and Chris Paul in. Will he be able to do it? His central piece to trade is Indianapolis native Eric Gordon. Is that gonna be enough with other pieces? I don't know, but Daryl Morey swings for the fences."
It will be interesting to see if the Rockets are able to make a deal for George after giving up four assets in the Chris Paul trade, including a young prospect in Sam Dekker, as well as a first-round pick, each of which the Pacers likely would have been after.
As Windhorst mentioned, Gordon, who just won Sixth Man of the Year, would likely be a centerpiece, but it's not clear if a trade centered around Gordon would be enough to entice the Pacers, even with their lack of leverage.
