Simply existing with a perennial playoff team and hoping that next season will be the big break is no longer enough for the Golden State Warriors. With a loaded, dominating team, they have turned the notion of luck into a farce.

In a league that is now plagued by Cold War-esque levels of stockpiling weapons in the form of star players or future assets like draft picks or prospects, the Houston Rockets added superstar point guard and nine-time all-star Chris Paul to their roster on Wednesday. The Rockets are sending 2018 first-round pick Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly and Sam Dekker to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Paul, who is opting into his contract as part of the teams’ sign-and-trade agreement.

On the surface, the deal is fantastic. Despite never making it past the conference semifinals, Chris Paul is one of the best and most decorated point guards in NBA history, and he now joins a Mike D’Antoni-coached team. D’Antoni, the 2016-17 Coach of the Year, engages his players in a fast-paced, efficiency-oriented offense. Most famous for his Seven-Seconds-or-Less Phoenix Suns, D’Antoni brought Houston back to the playoffs with a top-five offense in the league in one season.

James Harden, who finished second in MVP voting this season, has often needed help on the offensive side of the ball. Houston’s offense, while catalyzed by an array of three-point shooters, looked anemic without Harden on the court. And that says nothing of Harden’s carelessness with the ball; the guard set the NBA record for total turnovers this season.

Beyond the surface, however, lies the dilemma of coexistence. Both Paul and Harden rely heavily on their usage rates, as their successes on the court are both dependent on ball possession. Systems aside, there is only one basketball, and both players were the floor generals for their most recent teams.

Moreover, Harden is Houston’s point guard in every way, save for some defensive matchups. He brings up the ball, distributes it and holds onto it at the end of possessions when the Rockets need the ball. Paul has done exactly the same for more than a decade.

The talent is there on paper, but the question of how the two will play together is the most salient point in this blockbuster trade’s aftermath. It is also the silliest question.

Generational talents who choose to team up together have almost always succeeded. Sans the blunders of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012-13, talents like Harden and Paul almost always figure out a rhythm, especially when they are both playoff-tested.

Both players have experienced all the success of an NBA career minus the title. They are both first ballot Hall of Famers, and yet this coexistence dilemma continues. It continues despite Kevin Durant seamlessly integrating with the Warriors and despite LeBron James and Dwayne Wade creating a dynasty in Miami a few years ago. Even across sports, it continues to be a source of skepticism when a blockbuster deal goes down.

A few years ago, when Real Madrid signed star-studded winger Gareth Bale to pair with Cristiano Ronaldo, there were few who considered this transaction worthwhile. They deemed Bale — a winger like Ronaldo — overpriced, as the deal was the record transfer at the time, and they raised concerns about where exactly Bale would play.

In reality, Bale had a history of scoring from both the left and right wings and would not face any challenge when paired with Ronaldo, who has long dominated the left wing position. Furthermore, Bale’s target presence on the wing, his passing and his size gave opposing defenses worries that freed up Ronaldo for headers and tap-in goals from Madrid’s talented midfield.

As dazzling as some of Ronaldo’s finishes can be, his athleticism and timing in the box are unmatched. Having someone as talented as Bale feeding him the ball and vice versa has brought great personal success to both individuals, not to mention several La Liga and Champions League titles.

While chemistry is a valid concern in most cases, there is a certain threshold where talent transcends technicality. Paul is a talent that transcends that threshold for Houston and puts them in substantive conversation as one of the best teams in the league.

A move like this in any other year would have made the Rockets title favorites and may have been considered the impetus for a Real Madrid-esque run. However, the Real Madrid of the NBA plays at Oracle Arena, and for better or worse, their dominance is the reason behind moves like Paul’s.

All criticisms aside, I have to give credit to the Rockets and their efforts to assemble a team that gives a glimmer of hope that maybe — just maybe — luck might finally swing another team’s way.