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Report: Chris Paul agrees to four-year max contract to stay with Rockets

Chris Paul found something special in Houston, helping lead the team to the NBA’s best regular season record. (AP Photo)
Chris Paul found something special in Houston, helping lead the team to the NBA’s best regular season record. (AP Photo)

Chris Paul has decided to stay in Houston.

The All-Star point guard will sign a four-year, $160 million contract with the Rockets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Paul announced he was staying in Houston with a tweet as soon as free agency began.

Paul was traded to the Rockets from the Clippers last offseason in a blockbuster deal that sent several pieces including Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley and a first-round pick to Los Angeles, but the price was worth it as the Rockets rolled to the top seed in the Western Conference during the 2017-18 season. The team’s 65-17 record represented the best mark of any team in Paul’s career.

The Rockets reached the Western Conference finals, but had to swallow a bitter pill when Paul went down with a hamstring injury. Even though the Warriors came back from down 3-2, the Rockets showed promise as a team that came close to finally ending the Warriors’ four-year reign over the conference.

This deal will keep the Rockets’ elite backcourt of Paul and James Harden under control through the 2022-23 season. There was reportedly tension between Paul and the Rockets over the length of his next contract, with the team apparently winning out by signing the 33-year-old to one year below the maximum five years.

With Paul’s deal now out of the way, the Rockets will turn their attention to their remaining free agents, including center Clint Capela, who is set to cash in after a breakout season anchoring the Houston defense.

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