Rumor: Chris Paul may want out of Houston this summer

After coming just one game short of reaching the NBA Finals, it seemed as if the Houston Rockets and Chris Paul had the perfect marriage last summer. For the Rockets, Houston felt they had finally paired James Harden with his best co-star playing next to the future Hall-of-Famer. While Paul played a huge role in helping the Rockets advance to the Western Conference Finals and received a four-year, $160 million deal for his contributions.

With arguably their most talented team in franchise history, the Rockets championship window appeared to be open over the next three years. Unfortunately, after a season that was plagued by injuries and another postseason elimination to the Golden State Warriors, the Rockets and CP3 could be heading for a quick divorce.

During the highly publicized Stephen A. Smith show Friday afternoon, the ESPN analyst, alongside NBA reporter, Brian Windhorst, reported that the 34-year old point guard wants out of Houston before the start of the 2019-20 season. During his visit on the radio show, Windhorst went on to say that Paul would prefer a deal to the Los Angeles Lakers if traded.

With the news that everyone on the Rockets’ roster (not named James Harden) is available for a trade this summer, it comes to no one surprise that Paul’s name is continually in the midst of trade rumors. Despite the fact that Daryl Morey confirmed CP3’s safety a few weeks ago via social media.

However, in the possibility of a trade, it might be in Paul’s best interest to broaden his view past a return to Los Angeles on his way out of Houston. In their endless pursuit of Anthony Davis, it is hard to imagine that the Lakers will have enough assets to make a move for Paul.

Certainly, despite giving up one of the best floor generals in league history, it would be nice if the Rockets could exchange the aging point guard for one of the Lakers young rising star; especially if Houston can find a way to obtain Lonzo Ball in the trade. Unfortunately, the pass-first defensive-minded point guard may be on his way to New Orleans in a deal for AD.

Whether Chris Paul is traded or not, there are a lot of uncertainties surrounding the Rockets this summer, yet one thing is for sure. Once the dust is settled, it appears a long and interesting offseason will bring a drastic new look to the 2019-2020 Houston Rockets.