Jacari McRae | June 10th, 2019
After losing to the Golden State Warriors for the second consecutive season, it’s clear the Houston Rockets are looking to shake things up. While Rockets general manager Daryl Morey says James Harden and Chris Paul are safe, that hasn’t stopped the trade rumors from circulating.
According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the Miami Heat are expected to talk with Houston about their available players. He mentioned Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, and P.J. Tucker as potential targets for the Heat. Jackson did note he doesn’t see an ideal match between the two teams in a potential trade.
The Heat will likely pursue deals for Hassan Whiteside and/or Goran Dragic this summer. Both players are heading into the final year of their contracts but are expected to opt in before the June 30 deadline. The team won’t be able to trade them until they opt into their contracts.
It’s surprising the Heat have Chris Paul as one of their off-season targets. While Paul would arguably be the best player on the team, he’s owed $38.5 million, $41.4 million and $44 million over the next three seasons. That’s a lot for a 34-year-old point guard. Yes, he’s one of the best floor generals in the league, but he’s not the star the Heat should be seeking.
Sure, they’ll probably dump some of their bad contracts. However, in return, they’ll be trading them for one of the least attractive contacts in the league. And for what? Only a few seasons of good play? Plus, Paul hasn’t played in more than 61 regular season games over the past three seasons.
With Paul’s durability issues and his huge contract, the Heat should look in a different direction.
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