Rockets Rumors: Chris Paul Focused on Recruiting LeBron James to Houston

Chris Paul is reportedly trying to lure LeBron James to the Houston Rockets even though he is a free agent this offseason, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

"Chris is going to return there," Wojnarowski reported Monday (h/t Ben DuBose). "Right now, his focus isn't so much on his own free agency, he's trying to recruit LeBron James to Houston."

"Somebody close to (Paul) said to me that he has his focus on recruiting LeBron (to Houston) as anything he's done in this league," Wojnarowski added (h/t ClutchFans).

Paul was traded to the Rockets last offseason after opting into the final year of his five-year contract. Houston finished with the best record in the NBA and reached the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets were up 3-2 in the series before a hamstring injury forced Paul to miss Games 6 and 7.

"Yeah, he took it hard. But you know what, he'll be back," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. "He'll be back 100 percent and we're ready to go."

This makes it encouraging Paul will be back in Houston next season. The bigger question is who will join him.

James can be a free agent this summer if he declines his option for 2018-19, and there is plenty of speculation about where he ends up. The Los Angeles Lakers are currently the favorite to land the superstar, per OddsShark, while the Rockets have the fifth-best odds at 8-1.

While Paul has never played with James in the NBA, this could be the addition necessary to possibly knock off the Golden State Warriors and finally win a championship.

On the other hand, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN reported Monday Paul believes James is going to Los Angeles (h/t ClutchFans).