Rockets’ Tilman Fertitta reportedly wanted Chris Paul traded

Rockets’ Fertitta expresses concern with Paul’s contract

There were rampant reports that Paul and Harden’s relationship had soured, which the Rockets vehemently denied. Paul recently confirmed that there was truth to him and Harden’s relationship having deteriorated, which was corroborated with the Rockets’ decision to trade him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook.

But as it turns out, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta also intervened and made it known that he wanted Paul out of town, as ESPN’s Tim MacMahon recently stated on The Lowe Post with ESPN’s Zach Lowe.

“That trade was made because Tilman Fertitta wanted it made. He thought Chris Paul’s contract was the worst he had ever seen in business or sports.

And because James Harden wanted it made. Obviously there was a personality clash. I still believe that, if necessary, they could’ve still managed that situation, alot of people throughout the organization thought that.

But once Russ became available, they saw an opportunity that Harden and Fertitta wanted to pounce on, and they pounced on that.”

MacMahon cited Fertitta’s dislike with Paul’s contract as the reason for him wanting Paul moved, but also added that former Rockets GM Daryl Morey simply made the move to appease his superiors.

“Daryl Morey was the biggest Chris Paul backer in that organization. Nobody has ever told me that he made that trade with objections, but I just can’t help but think that it was a deal where his two bosses, Fertitta and Harden, said ‘hey, we want this deal, get it done’. And he did what he had to do to get it done.”

Next: Assessing the trade after one year