Report of tension between Chris Paul and the Rockets

When All-Star guard Chris Paul agreed to be traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Houston Rockets last summer, there were obviously conversations behind the scenes that included Houston telling Paul he would be maxed out this summer.

Now set to hit free agency next month, there’s some questions regarding Paul’s relationship with the Rockets.

Speaking to Skip Bayless on Undisputed, Chris Broussard of Fox Sports broke some rather alarming news.

“From what I’m told, there is tension now between Houston and Chris Paul,” the NBA insider noted.

It was reported earlier in the offseason that Paul would not take a “hometown” discount to to remain with the Rockets. Since then, suggestions are that he’s recruiting LeBron James to Houston.

There’s a lot to unwrap here. If Houston were to sign Paul to a max contract while re-signing restricted free agent Clint Capela, the team almost certainly wouldn’t have the cap room to sign LeBron. The only way James to Houston becomes a realistic possibility is if Paul himself takes less than the max or the team moves on from the remainder of its core group outside of James Harden and Paul.

Now, if there’s a rift between Paul and his Rockets squad, that opens up a plethora of possibilities. This includes Paul joining James in the pursuit of a championship with another team. In that scenario, the Los Angeles Lakers come into play.

Either way, it’s no longer a foregone conclusion that Paul will return to the Rockets for a second season.