Chris Paul is currently in the NBA Finals after Tilman Fertitta claimed the Phoenix Suns guard had the worst contract in sports history.
The Houston Rockets were desperate to get James Harden help following yet another postseason flameout in 2017. So, they went after Chris Paul in 2017 and signed him to a 4 year/ $159 million deal as Harden had requested him to stay in Houston on a long term deal. The Rockets looked like the perfect adversary to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
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However, they would eventually fall in 7 and 6, in respective years in the WCF and WCSF due to injuries. This prompted the Rockets to trade away Chris Paul to the OKC Thunder to acquire Russell Westbrook, a player that wouldn’t take the Houston any further than Chris Paul would the previous year.
When asked about having signed Chris Paul to the 4 year deal, Houston Rockets owner, Tilman Fertitta said that it was the worst contract in all of sports. This was strange as CP3 was coming off of a year where he dragged the Thunder to the 5th seed and was an All-Star, while Westbrook didn’t make the ASG.
According to @espn_macmahon on the Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook trade;
“That trade was made because Tilman Fertitta (Rockets Owner) wanted it made. He thought Chris Paul’s contract was the worst he’d ever seen in business or sports.” pic.twitter.com/tXvu9GBLKR
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 16, 2020
Chris Paul has been succeeding while the Rockets have been spiraling ever since that quote from Tilman Fertitta.
It’s quite ironic that ever since the Rockets traded away Chris Paul, they’ve been spiraling down to the bottom of the standings out West while CP3 has been succeeding at the highest level possible.
Ever since he left the Rockets, an aging Paul has made the All-Star game twice, been selected to the All-NBA teams twice, and most importantly, has made his first ever NBA Finals. Fertitta’s Rockets on the other hand, had one of the worst records in the league and are officially in tank mode.
On the bright side, they have great young talent such as Christian Wood, Ja’Sean Tate, and Kevin Porter Jr and will look to add to that with the no.2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.