After failing to beat the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Playoffs for the second consecutive season, rumors and speculations started to circulate that the Houston Rockets are planning to make a huge roster overhaul in the 2019 NBA offseason. In late May, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN revealed in a Twitter post that Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey has made all their players and future draft picks available in trade discussions. The Rockets are reportedly willing to move some of their core players if the right deal comes along.
As of now, Chris Paul is one of the Rockets’ players who’s frequently mentioned in trade rumors. At 34, Paul has already shown some signs of slowing down and even he can’t deny the fact that he’s on the downside of his NBA career. However, once he becomes officially available on the trading block, the veteran point guard is still expected to receive plenty of interest from teams who have a backcourt issue and want to boost their chance of contending for the NBA championship title in the 2019-20 NBA season.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News , some of the NBA teams who could express interest in trading for Chris Paul include the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Knicks. In a recent appearance on Houston’s SportsTalk790 , Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey decided to address the rumors surrounding Chris Paul and his future with the team.
The Rockets’ dysfunction is… good? https://t.co/wcUsuXlGMI
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 18, 2019
Morey made it clear to everyone in the league that Chris Paul hasn’t expressed his desire to be traded in the 2019 NBA offseason. When asked if the Rockets are planning to move Paul, Morey denied it and said that they are currently focused on adding a third superstar this summer.
“No, we want to add one more star to this team,” Morey said, as quoted by Sports Illustrated .
Aside from giving assurance that Chris Paul won’t be traded, Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey also downplayed the tension existing between CP3 and James Harden, believing that it’s only normal for two superstars who are working hard to achieve a common goal.
“What you have are two highly competitive guys who were very disappointed that we didn’t beat Golden State,” Morey said, according to ESPN . “You’ve got two high-level competitors who want to figure out how to win at a higher level, as well. Naturally, people who want that so bad, something that’s so tough, it’s going to create sometimes things that need to be discussed. But it’s all, to me, in bounds of any superstars.”
As of now, it remains a big question mark if the Rockets will succeed in pairing Chris Paul and James Harden with another superstar this summer. With their current salary cap situation, the only way the Rockets could have a massive upgrade on their roster is by taking the trade route.