Chris Paul claims Daryl Morey blindsided him with 2019 trade from Rockets to Thunder
OKC shocked the basketball world on July 11, 2019, when it traded beloved star Russell Westbrook to Houston.
It even shocked Chris Paul, who was a part of the blockbuster deal. The veteran point guard got shipped from the Rockets to the Thunder in addition to two first-round picks (2024 and 2026) and two first-round pick swaps (2021 and 2025).
Paul spoke about the trade during an episode of The Why With Dwyane Wade podcast on Wednesday. He claimed he was blindsided by Houston's general manager at the time, Daryl Morey, in the days leading up to the deal.
"I go over to the gym to go work out, and Daryl calls me," Paul said. "He said, 'I was just calling you to make sure you didn't wanna go to OKC.' I was like, 'No, why? I done moved 15 people to Houston.' And he was like, 'Okay, I was just making sure.'
"He was like, 'I would never trade you to somewhere you didn't want to go because you chose to come to us from the Clippers.'"
More: OKC Thunder mailbag: Why young core would be outlier among past NBA champions
Paul believed Morey.
But soon afterwards, Paul received word that he had been traded to OKC. And then came another call from Morey.
"Daryl was like, 'Hey man, it just moved so fast,'" Paul said. "I said, 'It's all good. I just want you to tell me one thing. You said you wasn't going to trade me, right?' He said, 'Yeah, I said that, but...' I said, 'That's all I needed to know.'"
Paul spent the 2019-20 season with OKC. He averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, and he led the Thunder to a playoff berth.
OKC ultimately lost to none other than Houston in Game 7 of the opening round. It then traded Paul and Abdel Nader to the Phoenix Suns in November 2020 for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 top-12 protected first-round pick.
Paul spent the next three seasons with Phoenix. The 38-year-old guard is now in his first season with the Golden State Warriors.
The blockbuster trade in 2019 seems like forever ago at this point. Still, all Paul could do was chuckle as he described who Morey is as a person.
"If you know Daryl Morey, no people skills," Paul said. "Real talk. You know what I'm saying? He don't really understand how to talk to people. ... But that happens, unfortunately. It's part of the business."
More: OKC Thunder's six-game winning streak ends with loss to Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chris Paul claims Daryl Morey blindsided him with trade to OKC Thunder
