The Houston Rockets and their franchise superstar James Harden are currently in “hard sell” mode in their pursuit of Los Angeles Clippers free agent guard Chris Paul.
With Harden leading the charge, the Rockets are hoping to woo Paul to Houston.
The Clippers can offer Paul a five-year deal worth around $203 million via the Over-38 Rule while other team can offer four years at around $148 million. So, Houston’s sales pitch has to be strong.
Adding Paul, 32, to the Rockets backcourt would take touches away from Harden but would instantly bridge the gap between the team and NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors.
The Rockets are also exploring the trade market.
According to ESPN, Houston is also interested in Paul George from the Indiana Pacers, despite being under contract through next season and despite George’s preference to play for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers in July 2018.
Houston has been actively trying to shed the likes of Ryan Anderson, Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley to make financial room to pursue free agents such as Paul, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry, Paul’s Clippers’ teammate Blake Griffin and Atlanta’s Paul Millsap.
The Vertical reported that Paul and his agents met with Clippers team officials to discuss the future and will “talk again soon.”
Paul is also entertaining interest from the San Antonio Spurs and is likely to receive significant interest from multiple NBA teams in the coming weeks.