Once reports surfaced of a potential rift between backcourt mates Chris Paul and James Harden, many believed the Houston Rockets would do everything in their power to ship away their aging point guard. When the Rockets did just that, it only provided substance to the belief that the relationship between Paul and Harden actually did go south towards the end of their second season together.
However, since the trade, Chris Paul was the first to deny having any sort of problems with the other and now Harden has followed suit. Harden was holding the first day of his basketball camp when he discussed Paul’s departure from Houston, insisting that it’s all good between the two and that any rumors of tension were all media-driven.
Harden said he is “good” with Chris Paul.
“Obviously as teammates, as competitors, we argued on the court. … The negative media stuff, it wasn’t true. … Me and Chris had constant communication.” #Rockets #Thunder #NBA pic.twitter.com/UvkyRpKFbt— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) July 20, 2019
James Harden on Chris Paul: “He’s a great dude. I have nothing negative to say about him.” #Rockets #Thunder #NBA pic.twitter.com/eDdObNqRvf
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) July 20, 2019
Even though Paul obviously did get traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s not hard to believe what James Harden has to say. It’s also not uncommon of most great teammates to get into occasional verbal spats during games, and Paul no longer being in Houston was simply the correct basketball decision for the Houston organization to make.
The Rockets managed to get out of perhaps the worst contract in the NBA once Chris Paul was dealt to OKC. Paul was at the very top of the NBA’s point guard crop during his prime, but age certainly seems to have caught up to him in some capacity and limited a lot of his production last season.
Though some may question the fit, Russell Westbrook is also clearly the better basketball player at this point, though both are now in their thirties. Paul additionally still has three years left on his deal worth almost $40 million annually, so it’s easy to see why Houston would make the move, even if he and Harden never had any real issues with each other.
