© Thomas Shea | 2019 Mar 30
It would appear the Rockets are reeling after being knocked out of the NBA Playoffs by the Warriors for the second consecutive season. First there were reports of a rift between Chris Paul and James Harden that boiled over after Houston’s Game 6 loss at home. Now, Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that General Manager Daryl Morey is making every player and draft pick available for trade this offseason, hoping to swiftly improve the roster.
“In talks with teams around the league in the last several days, Daryl Morey has made essentially his entire roster available,” Wojnarowski said on Sports Center Wednesday. “Now there’s really a very limited scope on the possibility of a James Harden deal, that’s almost impossible. But everybody else on that roster — if they think can improve that team, create some financial flexibility — they would do it.
“That would include even Chris Paul, Clint Capela. Chris Paul’s deal is very cost prohibitive. At 34 years old, three-years, $124 million left on his contract, no deal is untradeable, but you’d probably have to take something back that would maybe complicate your further financial flexibility in any kind of a Chris Paul deal.”
Paul was signed to a four-year deal worth just under $160 million last offseason. Harden, 29, is set to become a free agent next offseason, making him another difficult piece to move. Capela, 25, was signed to a five-year deal worth $90 million last offseason.
Extension talks with head coach Mike D’Antoni also appear to have stalled. He has one year left on his deal.