Rockets forward P.J. Tucker says it was an “emotional day” for him on July 11 when he learned that Chris Paul would be traded from Houston to Oklahoma City as part of the deal for Russell Westbrook.
In an appearance on The Full 48 podcast with Bleacher Report‘s Howard Beck, Tucker said:
It was an emotional day. That was crazy. Because I came here to play here with Chris [Paul]. That was one of my pitches as a free agent. We’ve always wanted to play together. We were supposed to go to college together. That was the plan.
We never got a chance to play together. So for that, it was like… [sigh]. That was crazy. So much mixed emotion.
Both 34 years old, Tucker and Paul were born just one day apart in May 1985 and knew each other as children growing up in North Carolina. That extensive personal relationship made the July situation especially challenging.
“As a friend, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ Because I know everything,” Tucker explained to Beck on the podcast. “His kids, he just bought a new house. I know everything, so it’s like, ‘Man.’ That switch. To get traded, it’s crazy. I’ve been traded, it’s a whirlwind.”
“For us to have done what we’ve done and for that to happen, the timing, it was crazy,” said Tucker, long known for corner three-point shooting, as well as his defense and leadership qualities. “It was a lot.”
Last week, after Paul’s initial return game back in Houston as a member of the Thunder, the future Hall of Famer said he still talks to Tucker on almost a daily basis.
In the podcast with Beck, Tucker stressed that he also recognized the opportunity that came with acquiring a player as talented as Westbrook — the NBA’s 2017 Most Valuable Player (MVP).
But at the same time, to get Russ, it’s like, ‘Whoa, okay.’ That was something different, and you have to flip that switch fast. Because it’s happening. So you have to get in order and get ready to go. It’s just one of those things.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey said recently that James Harden had first hoped Westbrook could be acquired without losing Paul, but the terms of the NBA’s salary cap made that virtually impossible.
The complete podcast interview includes Tucker’s analysis on the pairing of Westbrook and Harden the legacy and apparent decline of the Golden State Warriors; competing for championships; the changing landscape of the NBA and free agency; and the importance (or lack thereof) of the league’s All-Defensive Team.
