Without a reluctant playmaker, the Houston Rockets’ scouting department is on the lookout for point guards who have hit the market. However, per Kelly Iko’s latest report, the Rockets have deferred the top names like Ja Morant and, of the LA Clippers’ concern, Chris Paul.
But for the 12-time all-star, Houston would be paradise. Paul would receive the opportunity to play another half-season with Kevin Durant, teach Reed Sheppard a thing or two he may like to know on cementing a hall-of-fame career in the NBA, and the best part: join a championship roster.
Paul has also managed the distance between Houston and his family in LA in the past, as the veteran guard was a Rocket for 116 games, and was just in San Antonio a season ago, which is right up the street from Toyota Center.
Unfortunately for Paul, the Rockets have their eyes elsewhere, and from a bird's eye view, the reasoning is painfully obvious.
The Houston Rockets have opted to avoid any chance of their names in the news
Taking on Chris Paul for the last half of the 2025-26 season, which will be the last of his career, is a significant deal. It will make the headlines worldwide, and if the Houston Rockets traded for him, they would be under the lights and cameras at every angle.
On the contrary, the pressure may not be their only fear; it could be the risk of being in the LA Clippers’ shoes. Paul has a distinct, unique way of leading, and even though the Rockets would be optimistic, at first, when acquiring him, there is an odd chance that a disaster similar to Lawrence Frank’s and Tyronn Lue’s could occur.
At that point, the Rockets’ front office would not be able to differentiate between which route to take to climb out of the gutter. The Clippers survived because the dramatic scene unfolded in the first 30 games, but Houston may drown, as the second half of the season is on the brink of kicking off.
What if he is not on the same page as Kevin Durant? What if he and Ime Udoka disagree on a style of defense? Or worse, what if Paul is not content with spending extended time on the bench?
Each question has second-guessing attached to it, and with everything taken into account, the Rockets’ potential rationale in dodging Paul’s name on the trade block is valid in every sense; they simply want a title, and only want to put their best foot forward.