Getty Gallery: 4/6
No. 3 PG Chris Paul, Houston Rockets
It is a big off-season for the Rockets as they try to retain Paul and Capela. From the sounds of things, Paul is looking to recruit other free agents to come to Houston rather than having his eyes on another squad. The New York Times' Marc Stein reported that Paul is recruiting James to join him and James Harden.
"Don't get me wrong: There will still be plenty of talk over the next two weeks about what James will do July 1 and the growing belief that he'll be leaving his home-state Cavaliers this offseason to join a team better suited to consistently challenge Golden State," Stein writes. "Rest assured that the Rockets' understandably devastated Chris Paul — who made a fast exit from Toyota Center late Monday night after being forced to watch the biggest game of his life from the bench because of his hamstring injury — has already begun his recruitment of James to Houston."
According to TMZ, Paul recently purchased a mansion in Texas just a short drive from the Toyota Center, and has put his Los Angeles home up for sale. It looks like Paul is settling into Houston, but nothing is certain until the player signs the paperwork.
Paul's season had a disappointing end as a hamstring injury prevented him from playing in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Injuries have prevented the 33-year-old from playing a full season over the last two years. Paul played in 58 games this season, and 61 games with the Clippers in 2016-17. Aside from the injuries, Paul has been effective when he is on the floor averaging 18.6 points, 7.9 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals this season.
There is always the chance James tries to get Paul to join him at another destination, but very few teams have enough cap space to sign two max players. Unless Paul signs a one-year contract, this is likely Paul's last major deal, and the point guard will be looking for the max. Even to get James to come to the Rockets, both players would have to take a significant pay cut to make it work under the cap. Paul told the Houston Chronicle in April that he had not begun to think about his decision this summer, but reinforced that he liked being in Houston.
“Not at all [thought about free agency],” Paul told the Houston Chronicle. “Not one time. Not once. I just always worry about right now...Not at all. Not one time. Not once. I just always worry about right now.”
GM Daryl Morey did a lot of work to acquire Paul, and has every intention of keeping Paul in the Lone Star State. It will take a bit of work for the Rockets to be able to retain both Paul and Capela.
"Obviously, when we get someone as great as Chris Paul or James Harden, the plan is to keep him here,” Morey noted to the Houston Chronicle. “He'll have a choice when the season ends. We feel like we set things up well. It should be an easy choice for him."
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