Rockets fans can only laugh as Chris Paul returns to 'unsalvageable' relationship

The Houston Rockets made one of the worst trades in NBA history by flipping Chris Paul and picks for Russell Westbrook. Their fans were told that the relationship between Paul and James Harden was unsalvageable, but now, they're reuniting on the Clippers.

What else can you do but laugh? The 2017-18 Rockets were on the cusp of championship glory. They won 65 games. Their +8.7 Net Rating was the best in the NBA. Had Paul's hamstring held out in the playoffs, they may have won it all.

The rest is history. The Rockets tried to replace Trevor Ariza with Iman Shumpert and James Ennis III. Paul had a down year. The Rockets regressed, and the relationship between their two star guards disintegrated. The Rockets flipped Paul and picks that are still going to the Thunder for Westbrook, and Paul bounced back.

As a matter of fact, he's still an effective player.

Rockets rival makes useful addition

In 2024-25, Paul averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists per game for the Spurs. He ought to be useful on a Clippers team that's made sneakily good moves throughout the summer.

Paul's game was always going to age well. He's a basketball savant and a knockdown shooter. Paul will have a coaching position available to him on the day he retires if he wants it.

Granted, Father Time is undefeated, and Paul is not who he was in his prime. He's still remarkably productive for a 40-year-old. It's a testament to exactly how special Paul was in his prime.

The Rockets should have never let him go.

Rockets fans will always wonder what might have been

Let's disregard the fact that the Rockets still owe the Thunder one pick from that draft. This front office has done an impressive job of mitigating the last regime's sins by acquiring a surplus of draft capital.

Let's talk about Paul and Westbrook as players. As far as feel for the game goes, there's always been a gulf between the two. Westbrook has had statistical seasons that dwarf Paul's best years, but Paul has always been an easier player to incorporate into a winning team.

That's got much to do with the shooting gap. That was the problem with Westbrook in Houston. His inability to shoot threes meant he couldn't play with Clint Capela in Mike D'Antoni's system. That forced the Rockets to move Capela for Robert Covington and play microball. It was the last gasp of a dying contender.

The Rockets needed to sit Harden and Paul down and work their relationship out. Next, they needed to make a more honest effort to replace Ariza's 3-and-D impact. After all, we now know that Harden and Paul had the potential to iron out their problems:

What more can we do than laugh?