The Houston Rockets have made it known that essentially no one their roster, including James Harden, is untouchable as they look to make major changes to their roster to try to get past the monster in the Bay Area.
Chris Paul is one of the most obvious targets to be moved, along with big man Clint Capela, but considering Paul’s age (34) and the massive amount he has remaining on his contract ( he signed a four-year $160 million deal last July), it seemed Houston might be hard pressed to move the all-time great. However the Miami Heat may be a potential destination for the point guard.
According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the Heat are “expected” to check in on available Rockets’ players, including Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker and Eric Gordon.
The Heat could be hemmed in by the salary cap in their Paul-seeking aspirations. Should Hassan Whiteside ($27 million) and Goran Dragic ($19.2 million) opt in for 2019-20, that will bloat the Heat’s books to $140.9 million. Paul is guaranteed nearly $80 million, $79.9 million to be exact, with a $44.2 million player option in 2021-22.
The Heat may want to pass on going after Paul. He is clearly on the downside of his career and with his age, combined with the contract, which will become an albatross as it lurches on are not worth the effort of acquiring him. A team that is a title contender that is a point guard away would be the type of ballclub that would want to “check in” on Chris Paul.
