Houston Rockets Rumors: Chris Paul does not wish to return in 2019-20

Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul has reportedly expressed that he ‘wants out.’ What’s the latest that the newsmakers are saying? Let’s take a look.

The Houston Rockets offseason drama just had another accentuation with the latest rumor being a doozy of a bombshell in regards to the status of what this roster will look like this upcoming season.

We’ve witnessed all kinds of crazy news emanating from 1510 Polk, having us all wonder if there will be any remnants of a team that was just two wins away from reaching the NBA Finals.

From the word that every player is up on the block except for James Harden to Mike D’Antoni‘s future as the head coach of the Houston Rockets, to owner Tilman Fertitta’s spending strategy, we honestly don’t have any sense of a grasp of what this team plans to do next which is quite unsettling to me.

And apparently, that hasn’t settled well with Chris Paul as well. According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, his sources are telling him that Paul “wants out” of Houston. He was speaking about this during his afternoon radio show along with Brian Windhorst in regard to the current state of the Houston Rockets.

You can watch/listen to the clip here.

Despite what you think about Smith, I have to take his words as credible because I honestly respect the hell out of him and he’s had his ear to the ground in close-knit circles for goodness knows how long.

His platitudes may not always come to fruition but it’s hard to come by a guy that doesn’t work as hard as that man does in ensuring that he gets it right when reporting the facts.

It’s also important to note that Windhorst made an excellent point on this same clip in regard to if winning is the motivation for this franchise, amid the mid-season moves made to get the team under the luxury tax line.

This isn’t the first time when been down this road before. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported back May 10 that Paul and Harden got into a heated exchange shortly after their disappointing, series-ending 118-113 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

This was likely because of the difference in philosophy in regard to how the offense should be run. The Houston Rockets have employed more schemes centered around Harden isolation, because of the number of points they are able to produce from each play.

I’m not sure what the numbers were for Harden this season but he led the league in points per isolation plays in 2017-18 so the team wanted to stick with what’s working.

However, in the same cut, Paul is the ultimate facilitator and he’s at his best when he’s bringing the ball up and trying to distribute it to the open man. This is what I’ve wanted to see and I’m bummed that it wasn’t happening all that much in the semifinals.

Paul may feel that he’s been stripped of what makes him unique — being one of the best floor general/facilitators of his current era of the NBA. And with the media circus that the Houston Rockets continue to perpetuate with the rumors that keep flowing all over the place, he may not want to deal with it anymore.

Although I don’t necessarily agree to his four-year, $160 million deal that he signed last offseason, he was integral to the Houston Rockets‘ success and the team is in a better position to win because of his presence.

Paul is certainly an asset who can be traded but it remains to be seen if the Houston Rockets

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could get the haul that they want for him. His best situation for a trade is to the Los Angeles Lakers, who are extremely under the cap with LeBron James‘ contract being the largest — by far — on the books.

But they’re not hoarding away cash for Paul, they’re trying to lift themselves above the fray to be the newest suitor for Anthony Davis‘ services. He’s the hottest trade asset this offseason and it will be only a matter of time before he’s moved away from the New Orleans Pelicans. It’s presumptive that the Pels will use their No. 1 pick on Duke’s Zion Williamson when the draft is held next Thursday.

I would love for Paul to stay here but if the team can figure out a way to improve yet still trade him away, I’m all for it. There’s no sense in this man being miserable on a team that he reportedly doesn’t want to play for.

Next. The Boston Celtics are still targeting Clint Capela. dark

Let’s keep an eye out on how this development goes.

Paul, 34, averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists with a shooting line of .419/.358/.862 through 58 games last season.

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