How Chris Paul to the Suns impacts the Rockets

Suddenly, discussions of what the Rockets will or won’t do with their signature stars was pushed aside. The Rockets’ challenge will be to not be eclipsed by the Suns again when their offseason of discontent shakes itself out.

The ascendant Suns, the only unbeaten team in the NBA bubble, made themselves clear factors in the Western Conference playoff race on Monday by landing 10-time All-Star Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The move will pair him with Devin Booker in a backcourt to rival the Rockets’ combination of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, which was formed last offseason and one that the Rockets could struggle to keep together after just one season.

The move is the latest in the Thunder’s rebuilding plan, begun with the Paul George trade to the Clippers, which sparked Westbrook’s departure to the Rockets.

With the latest step to collect young players and draft picks, the Thunder will have turned Westbrook into one surprisingly strong season with Paul, Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque from the Suns; the Rockets’ first-round picks in 2024 and 2026; and the Suns’ first-round pick in 2022. They also have the option to swap positions in two other drafts, pick swaps that could become significant if the Rockets move on from their MVP backcourt and begin their own rebuild ahead of schedule.

The haul from the Suns should keep the Thunder competitive with Oubre and Rubio coming off outstanding seasons and Jerome bringing potential to fit well with OKC’s young core. But Oklahoma City, having already agreed to deal Dennis Schroder to the Lakers for Danny Green and a first-round pick, is fully embracing the rebuild plan. Beginning with two selections in the first round of Wednesday’s draft, the Thunder have 15 first-round picks through 2016.

With Phoenix adding Paul’s leadership, playmaking and elite mid-range game, competition for Western Conference playoff spots will be even more heated.

The Suns were already likely to be a factor to escape the lottery. With Booker and Paul, they should be able to duplicate the Thunder’s late-game strength from last season, and their own in the bubble. They also can hold off on completing the trade until after making free agency moves to keep their own players, Dario Saric and Aron Baynes, and then add a frontcourt player with a mid-level exception.

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The Western Conference already had the Warriors, Pelicans, Grizzlies and Suns seeming certain or likely to move from the lottery to a playoff spot or playoff contention. If the Rockets did not already feel enough pressure to remain a factor in the Western Conference, the sense of urgency to make moves had to have increased with the Suns’ move.

They also could have more motivation to try to make Westbrook want to stick around. Having seen how much Paul’s healthy, bounce-back season rebuilt his standing in the NBA, the Rockets could hope for the same with Westbrook, the player they traded Paul and a package of picks to get.

If they have found the market for Westbrook to be sluggish, they could have reason to hope that patience will be rewarded, as when the Thunder opted to keep Paul rather than quickly flip him last off-season when their rebuild began.

For now, the Rockets are unlikely to seek the sort of deal — for good role players and a first-round pick from a strong team — that made sense for the Thunder. Instead, they can find another dangerous team to contend with to return to the West’s upper echelon and keep their own stars on board. At least the Suns and Thunder gave the NBA something else to talk about for a few minutes.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com

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