OKC Thunder: Ranking the 4 best trade partners in a Chris Paul deal

Chris Paul trade destinations: New York Knicks

Imagine it, a veteran star like Chris Paul getting his redemption in the Mecca of Basketball at Madison Square Garden.

This would be similar to Chicago in a lot of ways. Paul goes and joins a respected coach trying out a new rebuild and becomes the veteran leader the franchise so badly needs. He would be alongside some excellent young stars and would have a significant impact on their early-stage growth.

CP3 running pick-and-rolls with Mitchell Robinson in New York is everything you want as a Knicks fan. He is the kind of player the Knicks should have surrounded RJ Barrett with in the first place.

The alternative for New York is you pay Fred VanVleet $20 million or more per year in free agency. Ouch.

As far as player assets, the return wouldn’t be outstanding for the Thunder. You could get a combination of Julius Randle, Elfrid Payton, and maybe even Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr. Kevin Knox could be on the table as well. Not bad, but probably not the same level of player assets you could get from Chicago.

Where the Knicks stand out as a trade partner is picks. The Knicks have 10 picks between now and the 2022 NBA Draft (five of which are first round picks), and that’s something Sam Presti probably has his sights set on.

Three of those first-round picks come in this year’s draft, including No. 8 overall.

The Knicks have the stuff to get a deal done and offer substantial draft assets to allow the Thunder to continue to stockpile that draft closet. It will largely depend on OKC’s motivations. Are picks old news for them? Do they need to move to adding tangible, impactful players to their roster? Picks never hurt and can always be a part of a package for a star down the line.

The Knicks feel like the best partner for the Thunder.