Chris Paul going to the Houston Rockets was the biggest move of the offseason, but the organization is taking it slow with contract talks. 

Back in June, the Los Angeles Clippers parted with Chris Paul after Houston offered a deal that included seven players, cash and a first-round pick in 2018. The nine-time All-Star is heading into a contract year, but Daryl Morey and the Rockets are waiting to decide on Paul’s future with them.

“We’ve had high-level discussions [with Paul about his future],” said Morey to Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver. “[Paul] hopes to continue with Houston. He likes the team, the organization and the city. In terms of him actually signing long-term, that’s something that won’t be decided until next year.”

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Paul turned 32 in May and is coming off a 61-game season with the Clippers. He averaged 18.1 points, 9.2 assists and 2.0 during a campaign with one of the lightest workloads of his career. Doc Rivers has always been great with managing Paul’s time, but this last season saw him grace the floor for 31.5 minutes a night, his lowest ever.

He’s set to earn $24.5 million this year and is likely to look the max next summer. The Rockets just gave Harden a $228 million extension, and it appears they aren’t so quick to commit a lot of money to a backcourt that may not work out.

Paul’s age has something to do with it, but pairing two ball-dominant guards is an idea that’s risky on the surface. If things don’t pan out as Houston plans, it’s easier to let CP3 walk this summer and not have him tied up on their books.

Contrarily, if they succeed, maybe Paul re-joins them and gives them a little bit of a discount. The Rockets are an explosive offense who picked up role players to lock down on defense. On paper, if anyone can challenge the Golden State Warriors — it looks like it would be them.

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