In a bombshell report released by Yahoo Sports insider Vincent Goodwill, it was revealed that the relationship between Houston stars James Harden and Chris Paul was "unsalvageable", and that both parties wanted to be away from each other. Both Paul and Houston GM Daryl Morey opposed this article and said that no such thing happened.
Paul and Harden went months without speaking to one another during the regular season, causing much tension within the Rockets organization. There is absolutely no respect between the two, and Harden has not answered any of Paul's attempts of communication this summer. Harden's ball dominant and isolation heavy style of play did not bode well with CP, and he reportedly would curse out coach Mike D'Antoni for letting Harden always have his way. Their tensions culminated after the Rockets' game 6 loss to the Warriors in the playoffs, and per Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania, Paul and Harden had a tense verbal argument. Both Paul and Harden complained to Houston's front office, with Harden saying to either "pick him or me", and Paul actually requested a trade.
Maybe this feud could have been nipped in the bud with a Paul trade, but now, it is nearly impossible to trade CP3. For whatever reason, Houston signed Paul to a lucrative 4 year, 160 million dollar max contract last summer, despite Paul coming off of a hamstring injury and seeing a large dip in his production.
With the Warriors suffering brutal injuries to both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, the West is wide open next season. It would be the perfect time of the Rockets to capitalize and finally get a shot at an NBA Finals. Instead, they are doing exactly the opposite: creating turmoil within the franchise's elite. If Houston cannot persuade some team to take on Paul's horrendous mess of a contract, the Rockets might find that they will never be able to get over the hump and win a championship.
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