Dwyane Wade has also decided to launch his podcast, “The Why”. And after discussing with Pat Riley, Lindsey Vonn or Carmelo Anthony, “Flash” received this time Chris Paulanother close friend of his.
The opportunity to discuss a lot of topics, and for the leader of the Warriors to hit Daryl Morey a little.
Chris Paul thus recounts his transfer from Houston to Oklahoma City. A bit of a crazy time in the NBA following the arrival of Kawhi Leonard at the Clippers, followed by Paul George. Russell Westbrook was also going to leave the Thunder and negotiations were taking place behind the scenes between the different franchises interested in the 2017 MVP.
“I go to the gym to practice and Daryl (Morey, the Rockets GM at the time) calls me. He said to me, 'I was just calling to see if you were sure you didn't want to go to OKC.' I'm like, 'Uh no…I just had 15 people come to Houston.' He said to me: 'Okay, that was just to be sure.' He adds: 'I would never trade you somewhere you don't want to go, because you chose to come to us, from the Clippers.' »
Except that obviously, Chris Paul was immediately traded to Oklahoma City, in exchange for Russell Westbrook. What the person concerned learned from the alerts on his phone, before the phone call from his manager.
“The phone rang and it was Daryl calling me. Daryl says to me, 'Hey, everything happened so quickly.' I say, 'It's okay, I just want you to tell me something. You told me you wouldn't trade me, right?' He said to me: 'Yes, I said that but…' I cut off: 'That's all I needed to hear.' »
“If you know Daryl Morey, you know he doesn't understand people. I tell you the truth. He doesn't understand how to talk to people.”
As former president of the players' union, Chris Paul explains that he knows very well how discussions go during exchanges between managers, and that nothing happens that quickly.
To hear him say, Daryl Morey's main problem is not so much being a “liar”, as James Harden would later say, but rather not knowing how to talk to people, and in particular players.
“If you know Daryl Morey, you know he doesn't understand people. I tell you the truth. He doesn't understand how to talk to people.” assures the playmaker, who then returns to the Carmelo Anthony episode, when the winger was dismissed by the Rockets after ten games, at the start of the 2018/19 season.
“Melo was in tears in his room, and I wanted to be with him because I know how much he gave to the game. But during that whole time in Houston, me and Melo, we were talking. From being a starter, from all that. I never told him it was going to happen this way or that. He told me Daryl came to his room to talk to him. He told him he would book a plane for him to take him back to New York. How can we tell him that? But we were playing San Antonio the next day (the Rockets were on a road trip) and he then told her he could take the team plane back to Houston. To come home with us after the match. After telling him he no longer needed his services. It’s one of the most disrespectful things I’ve seen in my life.”
