It’s almost official, Chris Paul is reportedly demanding a trade from the Rockets, calling his relationship with James Harden ‘unsalvageable.’
Chris Paul wants a divorce from the Houston Rockets and, specifically, James Harden.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Paul approached the Rockets management on Tuesday and made it clear that he wants out of Houston.
After the Rockets went down to the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the playoffs, Harden apparently issued a “him or me” decision to the front office brass.
Paul has now made Daryl Morey’s decision this summer a bit easier, saying that he would rather leave Houston than endure another season with Harden.
In hindsight, we all saw this breakup coming.
The Rockets of 2018-19 were nowhere near the dominant team that came within a game of ending the Warriors dynasty in 2018.
Much of that, we see now, had to do with the deteriorating relationship between Paul and Harden, two players who need the ball in their hands to make things happen on the court.
Initially, Paul wanted to see if things could be worked out with Harden, but the latter hasn’t returned any of his efforts at communicating, thus reinforcing the thought, in Paul’s mind, that it’s time for a breakup.
In the Yahoo! Sports reports, the two hadn’t talked in months, and following Paul’s trade demand, that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
Paul has long been known for his clashes with teammates, especially with Blake Griffin, and according to a source close to the situation, there is no more love between Paul and Harden.
“There’s no respect at all, on either side,” the source told Yahoo! Sports, adding that the conclusion reached by both camps is simply to separate from one another.
It seems as if the drama bug has found its way to Clutch City.