OKC Thunder: Ranking the 4 best trade partners in a Chris Paul deal
By Josh Wilson
Chris Paul could be on the move away from the OKC Thunder this offseason
Chris Paul and the possibility that the OKC Thunder trade him makes for a hot discussion around the NBA world this offseason. Many believe the Thunder will indeed trade him away, and he’s been mentioned as a trade target in various speculative trades all season long.
Paul, who was an afterthought after his stint with the Houston Rockets, had a complete resurgence as the lead point guard for the Thunder, proving he’s still got it and can lead a team of any level to success. The Thunder, led by Paul and his 17.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, gained the fifth-best record in the Western Conference and were a threat in the postseason.
The thought behind trading Paul is reasonable as he’s not a great fit for this team’s long-term motivations. The Thunder are in the midst of a rebuild and could capitalize on his great season by pulling in more relevant assets while his value is sky-high.
Of course, there’s reason to keep him as well. Clearly the Thunder had a good thing going with him leading the way last season and there wouldn’t be shame in having him run it back with this young core, especially considering many of the trade destinations are similar young rebuilds as well.
Chris Paul trade destinations: Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a logical trade partner that comes to mind when considering options out there in return for Chris Paul. After all, what’s worked there previously clearly has not gotten them to their desired expectations, and with a new head coach in Doc Rivers, the team certainly might try to switch things up.
Ben Simmons is a great two-way player, but it’s no secret that he’s more limited on the offensive end. Simmons can guard 1-through-5 but on offense a vast majority of his shot attempts come in the restricted area. 94.2 percent of his shots come within 10 feet of the rim.
After months of teasing during the hiatus following him telling Jackie MacMullan he was ready to shoot 3-pointers, Simmons took just one in the bubble in three games.
Simmons still needs to add a jump shot, or at least some semblance of one. The threat of Giannis Antetokounmpo taking a few 3-pointers — even if they weren’t particularly high-conversion shots for him at 30.4 percent — helped rope out the defense for him and the Bucks last season and give him more space to charge at the rim.
Philly’s problems go beyond just Simmons, though, in fact, many would point to a downright sad front office that has made some of the worst salary cap decisions to build around two of the league’s brightest young stars in Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Paul and the Sixers fit well, no doubt, but for the Thunder they’re one of the worst trade partners because of Philly’s lack of flexibility in making a trade happen. You’re going to have to eat either Tobias Harris or Al Horford’s contract, neither of which are glamorous. Philly, who once had a treasure trove of draft picks, has used or shipped out so many of those under this front office that they can’t offer the Thunder anywhere near what they got in return for Paul George.
The lack of flexibility here makes the Sixers very much a so-so trade partner, but still a possibly motivated one, which could lead to a deal happening.