James Harden Claims Chris Paul ‘Didn’t Seem Happy’ Heading Into Free Agency

The Houston Rockets considerably upgraded their backcourt this summer with the addition of superstar point guard Chris Paul formerly of the Los Angeles Clippers. The team acquired Paul in a trade right before he was going to test free agency and as a result were able to become a serious threat to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.

Harden recently talked about gauging Paul’s interest in joining the Rockets and how he knew the veteran guard wasn’t happy with his situation in Los Angeles, via Sam Amick of USA Today.

“I just knew that in the summertime obviously (Paul) was a free agent, and I wanted to see where his head was,” Harden said of Paul, who will now be a free agent next summer. “He didn’t seem happy, so after that we just took it from there.

“Obviously Golden State has been in the Finals and won two out of three, so that’s what everybody is trying to build up against. But we’re right there. We’re right there. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do, but it definitely puts us in a better chance.”

The Rockets will head into the 2017-18 NBA season with their main goal being to dethrone the star-studded Warriors. Houston was already climbing up the standings last year with head coach Mike D’Antoni getting the team back on the right track with Harden being a legitimate NBA MVP candidate.

During the 2017-18 campaign. Harden and Paul will have to find a way to play together as with similar styles. Obviously, both players have their eye on the prize in Houston and will do everything in their power to make it work, but there’s no guarantee that it will.

Moving forward, the Rockets hope to add to their already upgraded roster with talk of the team trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks. It seems like a matter of time before the deal comes to fruition, but again, no guarantee it will.