This offseason is sure to be a big one for the Houston Rockets.
After dropping Game 7 of the Western Conference finals to the Golden State Warriors, some of the Rockets’ key contributors, such as Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela are set to become free agents, with Capela being the only restricted free agent of the bunch.
But it sounds like Paul may be intent on staying, as evidenced by some recent news that he’s reportedly already trying to lure the most prized free agent of them all to Houston.
That’s right, despite getting eliminated just two days ago, Paul reportedly already has begun laying the groundwork to try to get LeBron James to join the Rockets next season, according to The New York Times’ Marc Stein.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Stein wrote. “There will still be plenty of talk over the next two weeks about what James will do July 1 and the growing belief that he’ll be leaving his home-state Cavaliers this offseason to join a team better suited to consistently challenge Golden State.
“Rest assured that the Rockets’ understandably devastated Chris Paul — who made a fast exit from Toyota Center late Monday night after being forced to watch the biggest game of his life from the bench because of his hamstring injury — has already begun his recruitment of James to Houston.”
That news bodes well for the Rockets in more ways than one. For one, it shows Paul has some interest in returning to Houston after landing there via a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers last offseason. Furthermore, it shows that he’s committed to trying to facilitate getting the Rockets the piece that could push them past the Warriors.
James or not, however, the Rockets certainly need to find a way to keep some of their core intact after coming just one game short of reaching the NBA Finals.
Though the Finals have yet to begin and we’re still just over a month away from free agency opening, don’t be surprised if Paul has some company from teammates and opponents alike in trying to attract The King’s skills to their respective team.
