Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has made his entire roster and future draft picks available in trade talks, a dramatic initiative with hopes of reshaping the team into a championship contender, league sources told ESPN.
The possibility of trading All-NBA guard James Harden is believed to be extremely limited, but the rest of the roster — including even Chris Paul and Clint Capela — could be more realistic trade targets, sources said.
Paul’s remaining contract (three years, $124 million) and advancing age (34) make deal possibilities somewhat prohibitive.
Pointing downward?
The 2018-19 season was less than ideal for Chris Paul, who averaged a career-worst 15.6 points per game and barely ranked in the top 50 in player efficiency rating (PER) — all while taking home the third-highest amount in base salary.
TOTAL NBA RANK
Base Salary $35.6M 3rd
PER 19.7 49th
PPG 15.6 67th*
AST/TO 3.11 40th*
* Min. 50 games played
— ESPN Stats & Information
The Harden-Paul dynamic wasn’t without its challenges this season for the Rockets, league sources said.
The Rockets have been more aggressive in offering up Capela in recent days, sources said.
Houston has lost in the Western Conference finals and conference semifinals to the Golden State Warriors in consecutive years.
Houston has made changes on its coaching staff, and extension talks with coach Mike D’Antoni appear to be stalled. He has one year left on his contract.
Courtesy: ESPN.com
