OKC Thunder: Chris Paul trade to Suns only makes sense if return package is right
The rising Phoenix Suns:
If charted, the strides the Phoenix Suns made last season could be denoted in a constant upward motion. To start the season, the squad lost the services of Deandre Ayton for 25 games (due to PED use). He returned to play 38 games averaging a double-double of 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds.
Devin Booker blossomed in his fifth season with the Suns producing 26.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. He made his first All-Star game, gave Damian Lillard a run for his money as bubble MVP, and was named to the first-team All-Bubble squad.
Prior to tearing his meniscus, Kelly Oubre was serving up two-way effort and filling up the stat sheet as youngsters Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson etched their place in the Suns’ future core. While Aron Baynes and Ricky Rubio offered hints of what veteran leadership could do to help the Suns take the next step.
A perfect 8-0 performance in the Disney bubble allowed the Suns to realize they are on the precipice of taking the next step. If there is a single person to credit for the growth it could easily be tied to head coach Monty Williams.
In his first year in Phoenix, the bench boss established team culture, got the youngsters to commit to playing two-way basketball, and taught them how consistency is the key to making the postseason. That’s their goal this season and why Chris Paul is their primary target.
Chris Paul – the Suns missing puzzle piece:
Looking back to a year ago July it’s amazing how completely the narrative has changed. OKC was in the middle of what appeared to be a complete overhaul as they sent out a trio of their top talents including the favorite son Russell Westbrook.
In return for the Brodie, Sam Presti got Chris Paul along with two draft picks and two draft swaps. The extra picks were considered the cost to offload CP3 who suddenly was labeled as overpaid and injury-prone. The phrase hindsight is 20-20 definitely fits the bill in this situation.
Despite being told he would NOT be traded to Oklahoma City, Paul was a complete professional when that was precisely what happened in short order. Paul embraced his role as mentor and leader, delivering an average of 17.6 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals per game. He adopted a new all-vegan lifestyle which equated to a healthy season where he missed only two games — one mourning the loss of his friend Kobe Bryant and the final seeding game of the bubble on a CD DNP for rest.
As if that wasn’t enough, the veteran point guard reminded the world of why he is considered the best leader in sports. First, spurring a fourth-quarter comeback in the All-Star game but more poignantly with the Thunder as the clutch time NBA king of 2020.
By season end, he was among those considered in the MVP conversation and earned All-NBA second-team honors. His Thunder tied the Rockets and Jazz for fourth in the West and his team came one shot short of advancing to the second round of the playoffs.
It was a memorable year for Paul reminding fans, peers, and executives of his prowess on and off the court. As NBPA president he worked tirelessly with stakeholders to make the Disney bubble a reality.
One year removed from critics saying he was on the downside of his career Chris Paul is having the last laugh as teams line up for his services. Meanwhile, Westbrook isn’t happy in Houston adding relevance to James Harden’s leadership potentially having been the issue and not CP3.
Moving into what will be a very busy week let’s look at what the deal would likely look like between the OKC Thunder and Suns.