Should the Houston Rockets Sign Chris Paul?

In a shocking, late-night move, the LA Clippers officially waived franchise legend Chris Paul, causing quite a bit of commotion in the process.

What started with an instagram post from CP3 ended with a statement from the Clippers, and the 40-year-old point guard — amid his retirement tour in the NBA — out of a job. 

“Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,” Paul’s Instagram post read.  

The Clippers then countered: “We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team — I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”

LA has indeed struggled on the season, jumping out to just a 5-16 record overall, and presently riding a five-game losing-streak. While former Rockets’ MVP James Harden has been stellar, and two-time champion Kawhi Leonard has returned to the lineup, things have gone from bad to worse in LA. And even more, they owe their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the 21-1 Thunder.

The miserable early-season seems to have culminated with Paul being cut. And with the Rockets’ losing their star point guard Fred VanVleet due to injury prior to the season, it begs the question: should Houston sign CP3?

Unfortunately, that answer is no.

While Paul was instrumental in helping the Rockets to several of their best seasons in history, the timing isn't likely to work for an acquisition at this point in the season.

Houston has need of a starting point guard, though Paul’s past his prime in that sense, having averaged only 2.9 points on 32% shooting from the Clippers across 14 minutes per game this season. A far cry from his MVP-esque outings in Houston years ago.

Additionally, the Rockets have dealt with injuries, and have begun to reach deep into their roster even in the early part of the season. Creating space for Paul would involve the waiving or trading of players like Josh Okogie, Jae’Sean Tate or others, all of which have been important for Houston thus far.

Had Paul needed a home prior to the season, the Rockets could've potentially obliged. But the Clippers' abrupt changing of the guard has left things up in the air for both parties.

For now, the hope is that some NBA franchise values Paul's final run in the NBA, and grants him a spot as the 2025-26 regular season continues on.