Los Angeles Clippers trade rumors 2016: New pick-ups excite point-guard Chris Paul

The Los Angeles Clippers may not have added significant players in this summer due to budget constraints, but star point guard Chris Paul believes that the team is much stronger now with some new names heading to California.

Paul finds himself with familiar players as the Clippers picked up Raymond Felton and Brandon Bass.

The connection among the three players stems from the 2005 NBA Draft that saw Paul being taken fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets.

One pick next was Felton as the Charlotte Hornets drafted the point guard.

In the second round, Bass was also drafted by the Hornets, and the three enjoyed long careers in the league.

Felton last played with the Dallas Mavericks and the 32-year-old started 31 of 80 regular season games with the Texas team.

He averaged 9.5 points and 3.6 assists per game while playing 27 minutes per game.

Felton should be worth the $1.5 million that the team paid as he will be an excellent back-up to Paul when the All-Star needs to rest.

On the other hand, Bass is more of a role player, but he can provide enough energy from the bench when he comes in for the Clippers.

Bass last played for the Los Angeles Lakers and played a total of 66 games. He played significant minutes, averaging around 20 minutes per game and averaged 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per night.

Another player signed on a veteran minimum, this is a very good pick-up for the Clippers as Bass will play a bit part in the secondary of the team when Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan needs to rest.

At the moment, the Clippers are only a few pieces away from being a contender. These two additions may not put them over the hump, but these two new Clipper players may be enough to keep them close to the top.