The Rockets have a lot to do this offseason, and that includes figuring out if they should trade any of their starting players to get James Harden the help he needs and deserves.
And the name that is highest on the chopping block is that of Chris Paul.
Paul is 34-years-old, and his pairing with Harden has not created what was hoped to be one of the most elite backcourts in the league: The Rockets have yet to reach the NBA finals since CP3 was signed.
And over the next three seasons, Houston owes Paul roughly $124 million.
Paul is certainly a star and is rightfully one of the best point guards in NBA history. His averages of 15.6 points and 8.2 assists per game in the postseason were not necessarily anything to overlook.
Further, Paul is known as a fantastic leader in the locker room, and his passion and aggression for the game are hard to match.
But during the 2018-9 season, Paul had career lows in just about everything, per Basketball Reference.
And he’s only getting older — not many teams are going to want to swallow his salary over the next three years.
The problem is that the options for a Paul trade are more limited now than they were last year.
But, the Rockets could sweeten the deal by adding in another player like P.J. Tucker, Clint Capela or Eric Gordon. Though there is the chance that the Rockets try to move on from more than Paul and another one of those aforementioned players, blow it all up and just try to surround Harden with a more filled out and new supporting cast.
What makes it even harder for the Rockets to move on from Paul is not just their lack of cap space, but their lack of a pick in the 2019 NBA draft to offer up.
If Houston wants to move on from Paul, they are going to have to be master finaglers this offseason.
What do you hope Houston does this offseason with Paul and his monstrous contract?
