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.
Chris Paul trade destinations: Milwaukee Bucks
Probably the most logical trade partner, the Milwaukee Bucks have been brought up by respectable reporters around the NBA since the Bucks were eliminated by the Miami Heat.
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Khris Middleton is a noble number two option for the Bucks right now, but Giannis Antetokounmpo needs a superstar. Middleton is an All-Star in his own right, but not a superstar just yet.
Veteran leadership and superstar status in CP3 would be a great addition to the Bucks core, and his stability in the postseason where Eric Bledsoe has fallen so, so short would be much needed.
In the postseason it feels quite a bit like the seams have started to break for Milwaukee the past two seasons. Say what you will about Mike Budenholzer’s coaching — it’s been bad — during the playoffs, but Bledsoe’s annual disappearance as a starting point guard is worrisome for the Bucks. Any slippage from the ancillary components of the Bucks roster allows opposing defenses like the Heat’s to focus more effort and attention to Antetokounmpo.
Imagine a starting unit of Paul, Middleton, and Antentokounmpo. How are you going to guard all three at once?
As far as what the trade looks like, Eric Bledsoe is going to be involved. While the Bucks probably don’t want to trade Brook Lopez or George Hill, it’s hard to see a deal getting done without one of those two to make the money work.
Milwaukee has two second-round picks coming in the future to spare via the Indiana Pacers and also owns their first-round pick this year (but Milwaukee’s own pick at No. 30 is going to Boston).
The Thunder doing a deal with the Bucks would instantly lower them a tier in talent and the draft assets they could get from them are thin. But if you can get Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez out of it, hey, that’s not too bad.
This will be tough for these two teams to pull off without some sort of substantial sacrifice on either side.
Chris Paul trade destinations: Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are entering a new era with a new coach in Billy Donovan and a new President of Basketball Operations in Arturas Karnisovas.
The narrative here makes a lot of sense. Send Paul to the guy who coached him this season and give him some continuity in the leadership department of a rebuilding team’s locker room. He’ll be at the forefront of one of the city’s largest markets which isn’t nothing for a veteran like himself.
Paul also had high praise for Donovan during a national playoff broadcast this season.
Chicago is in an interesting spot among rebuilding teams. They have talent in Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Coby White among others. At the start of last season many pegged them to be a postseason team. It feels like they’re still just a change in coaching and a star player away.
Check one box off with Donovan, and another could be checked off with Chris Paul.
For the Thunder, take your pick. You could probably nab Thaddeus Young, Tomas Satoransky, Cristiano Felicio, maybe even Lauri Markkanen on this deal. Otto Porter Jr. is likely in play as well assuming he picks up his player option. The Bulls have two second round picks in 2021 and 2022 to play around with.
Chicago feels right not only for the Thunder, but also for Paul.
But there’s one location that might be even better when it comes to getting the most in a trade.
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.