Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey began the Russell Westbrook press conference on Friday by thanking Chris Paul.
Morey said to get a superstar player like Westbrook, the Rockets had to give up a superb talent like Paul.
Daryl Morey opens with praise for Chris Paul, adding "To get something great you have to give up something great."
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 26, 2019
Chris Paul's first year with the Rockets in 2017-18 was a success. Houston had the best record in the NBA during the regular season and came up one game short of reaching the NBA Finals.
Paul's second year in Houston was up and down. The future Hall of Famer suffered a hamstring injury and missed a bunch of games. There were also reports that Paul and Rockets superstar James Harden weren't getting along behind the scenes and owner Tilman Fertitta was upset the previous ownership group promised they would give CP3 a max contract no matter what.
This past season with the Rockets, Paul averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 58 games. The nine-time All-Star shot 41.9 percent from the field, 35.8 percent from beyond the arc and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Paul has three years left on his deal. He’ll make $38,506,482 next season, $41,358,814 in 2020-21 and has a player option worth $44,211,146 for the 2021-22 season. The Rockets had to move on from Paul, as it was clear he and Harden weren't going to be able to co-exist anymore.
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