James Harden approached Chris Paul about his impending free agency during the second to last regular season game of the year in 2017 when he was still on the Clippers.

"So, what are you going to do?" asked Harden to Paul.

Harden and Paul previously had superstar marriages that didn't work out. Harden and Dwight Howard had teamed up with the Rockets while Paul and Blake Griffin never reached the Western Conference Finals.

Harden is said to have been an active recruiter of Paul in the weeks leading to an eventual opt-in and trade to the Rockets.