Thunder's Chris Paul Hopes Rockets Players Don't Get in Trouble for Talking

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul made some cryptic comments following OKC's 116-112 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Paul said he talks to former Rockets teammates P.J. Tucker and Gary Clark every day before adding, "Hope I don't get them in trouble."

When asked why, CP3 responded, "I don't know, just saying. You just never know. Never know. Tricky league."

Paul was traded from the Rockets to the Thunder during the offseason as part of the deal that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston to play alongside James Harden.

Per Mark Medina of USA Today, Paul also had a funny exchange with Westbrook after the game when Westbrook entered the Thunder locker room:

Before the trade to OKC, Paul spent two seasons in Houston. Injuries forced him to miss 24 games in each of those campaigns, and his numbers were down in comparison to his career stats, as he averaged 17.1 points and 8.0 assists per game.

The Rockets enjoyed team success with CP3 in the fold, though, as they reached the Western Conference Finals two seasons ago and made it to the second round of the playoffs last season. The Golden State Warriors eliminated them on both occasions.

It is unclear what Paul was referring to when he mentioned not wanting to get Tucker and Clark in trouble, although he could have been referring to the notion that some might accuse him of tampering with another team's players.

Both Tucker and Clark only have partially guaranteed contracts with the Rockets next season, which means it is possible one or both of them could become free agents during the offseason.

Meanwhile, Paul is locked into his deal with the Thunder through next season, and he has a player option for 2021-22, so his stint with OKC is far from over unless he gets traded at some point.

Tampering was a major topic of discussion during the offseason due to how quickly some players were reported to have signed in free agency once the moratorium was lifted, and since Paul is the president of the National Basketball Players Association, he is very much aware of the controversy.