This is the video of Stephen A. Smith saying that he or they are hearing Chris Paul wants out of Houston. pic.twitter.com/P0NxPkFO47
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) June 14, 2019
After being knocked out of the Western Conference Playoffs by the Golden State Warriors for the second year running, Chris Paul wants out of Houston. That’s the word coming from Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, who said on his radio show Friday that the point guard would like to be traded this offseason.
“In the end, it’s this: With Kevin Durant out, with Klay Thompson out for most of the season, one could argue the Houston Rockets now have a window to get to the NBA Finals,” Smith said. “But you’re also hearing Chris Paul wants out, Chris Paul wouldn’t mind going somewhere else, preferably LA, maybe, we don’t know, with LeBron. We don’t know. But you’re hearing he wants out.”
What Paul wants and what’s feasible are two different things. Paul is owed about $41 million per year for the next three seasons, after signing a four-year extension with the Rockets last offseason. He’s also 34 years old. A prospective team would have to have both the cap room, and the desire, to make a play for an aging star on a max contract.
“I would never say that CP3’s untradeable,” Brian Windhorst said on Smith’s show. “He’s tradeable, for sure. But he’s not tradeable in a way that makes their team better.”
After their reported blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis, the Lakers will reportedly have between $27 million and $32 million available in cap room this offseason. The team has, however, been linked to soon-to-be free agent Kemba Walker, who is 29 years old and coming off his third consecutive All-NBA selection.
Kemba Walker will be a top target in free agency for the Lakers after they reached an agreement in principle to trade for Anthony Davis, according to league sources
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 15, 2019