OKC Thunder: Pros and cons to a Chris Paul trade

Con to OKC Thunder trading Chris Paul: Lose vet presence

Losing Chris Paul the player is huge. He was an All-Star in 2019-20, a second-team All-NBA member, and came in seventh in All-Star award voting.

When you lose CP3 the player, you also lose the mind and the psyche, of CP3. You lose the veteran presence and the well-respected locker room voice.

Paul’s impact on not only his own locker room but the league at-large was seen firsthand this year when he — as President of the NBA Player’s Union — was at the forefront of conversations pertaining to the league’s return.

Whether it was discussions the pandemic and the health and safety of the players he represented or on issues of social justice and race, Paul was poised, collected, and eloquent in his discussion on those matters publicly.

The job of representing hundreds of players is a tough one, but he did so respectably.

Some may not value the veteran presence quite as much, but I believe it to be extremely important for any winning team.

If the Thunder do trade Paul, replacing his impact on the locker room and hoping he instilled a greater sense of pride in some of the remaining players for a pure locker room will be important.