Rockets superstar James Harden requested Chris Paul be traded

Since the Houston Rockets decided to move star point guard Chris Paul this past offseason, there have been many details to emerge around the situation over the last few months.

The latest chatter around the matter comes from Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated as he voiced on Zach Lowe’s The Low Post Podcast that James Harden had indicated after the Rockets elimination from last year’s playoffs that the team needed to move Paul. (H/T Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk)

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“The one thing that I heard, which I will say this, because I have to preface it, that I have to see to believe, but from one rumor – I’ve got to put exclamation point before I say it, right? I don’t know this is fact. But I was told that James ran up to Coach D’Antoni and put his hand over his mic – because D’Antoni was mic’d – and told him, “We’ve got to get Chris out of here.”

That falls right in line with the reported rift that Harden had with Paul during their brief time together. There was clearly some tension that led to the team deciding to move the former All-Star point guard.

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In the last few days, Paul has added to this discussion. He stated that general manager Daryl Morey had told him days before the trade that he wouldn’t be moved. The 34-year-old had a strong desire to make it work in Houston, but the team didn’t hold that same belief.

It’s simply another detail that shows how fractured the relationship between Harden and Paul had become.