NBA Rumors: Harden May Have Just Spilled Chris Paul Fate For Next Season

James Harden of the Houston Rockets was in the Philippines recently as part of his Adidas Asia Summer Tour where he seemed to have given a hint on the future of Chris Paul.

The 2018 NBA MVP briefly met the press and answered several questions ranging from lifestyle to future plans. One interesting question he answered was what the Rockets needed to do next NBA season to churn out a better showing. In the process, the Bearded One may have just spilled the fate of Paul.

When asked about what he and the Rockets learned from last season, the third overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft singled out how he and the team need to stay healthy. Injuries took its toll on the Rockets last season and Harden believes this will be key to the success of the Rockets this coming season, Manila Bulletin Sports reported.

“Health is something you really can’t control, its basketball. Injuries happen. We just got to continue getting better. Myself, Chris (Paul) and everybody that’s on the roster. Come back a little bit better and fill up the pieces that we need to fill,” said Harden at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Manila.

Also, it appears Harden knew that they were close to making headway if not for injuries and some internal issues. As mentioned in a previous post, Paul reportedly had misunderstandings with the 2012 NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner and such further got blown out of proportion with CP3 reportedly on the way out. However, the 34-year-old guard denied asking for a trade and said that he will be in Houston and he is happy about that, CBS Sports reported.

There is no telling if both Harden and Paul were able to iron things out for next season as the Rockets try to pick up the pieces and prep for another run at the NBA title. The seven-time NBA All-Star knows that they had a great chance last year and making the team better is Houston’s prerogative this summer.

“We can’t dwell on the past, we can’t be sad about it. We got to continue to push until we reach our goal,” Harden said during the Free To Harden Freestyle Hub Wednesday night in the Philippines.

One thing the Rockets are expected to do is get new players who can help out for the 2019-20 NBA campaign. Houston is reportedly interested in getting Jimmy Butler of the Philadelphia 76ers. According to ESPN, Butler is pushing for a sign-and-trade deal that would help facilitate a potential transfer by the 29-year-old swingman from Philly to Houston.