The OKC Thunder are a team with very few flaws. That said, the ones they do have could prove to be fatal when it comes to their title aspirations.
Easily their most noteworthy shortcoming in 2024-25 has been their offensive punch without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as they boast an elite 121.6 offensive rating with him on the floor and an absolutely putrid 106.6 rating with him off.
Despite having first-time All-Star and 21.0 point-per-game scorer Jalen Williams as his direct running-mate and recently getting budding stud Chet Holmgren back into the fold following a multi-month injury-induced absence, it's evident that Oklahoma City has struggled mightily to find any semblance of offensive stability when the MVP frontrunner is taken out of the equation.
Because of this, there's a growing belief among both fans and pundits that the Thunder should consider scouring the buyout market to address this glaring rotational weakness and, just recently, the folks at Bleacher Report went as far as to predict that these struggles will ultimately help lead them to signing one of the most buzzed about names expected to become available.
Thunder predicted to reunite with guard Chris Paul on buyout market
Labeled as a "full circle" scenario, writer Zach Buckley believes that the current situation out in San Antonio, what with the Spurs being on the outside looking in on a Play-In Tournament spot at 24-33 and Victor Wembanyama's unfortunate health-related issues, could lead to former Thunder guard Chris Paul wanting out "to join a more competitive club."
In his eyes, Oklahoma City would "certainly qualify as such."
"He could be more than a bench-filling ring-chaser, though. There is a real opportunity for a floor general to seize control of their second-unit offense, and even at his age, he'd be up to that task. If the Thunder want a cerebral sub behind their superstar, they'd be hard-pressed to find a better qualified candidate," Buckley wrote.
Now in his 20 season in the association, the Point God is still producing at a highly efficient and overall effective rate as a floor general, posting per-game averages of 9.0 points, 8.0 assists (ranks seventh in the league), 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while shooting 35.4 percent from distance.
On top of this, with him on the floor, the Spurs sport an offensive rating of 113.8 (which ranks first on the Spurs) and see their production plummet down to a disturbingly low 104.8 rating without him.
It's this kind of impact that has regularly had Paul's name linked as a potential mid-season target for this championship-hopeful OKC squad this year, and it only reinforces the notion that, even at the age of 39, bringing on one of the greatest floor generals and set-up artists the game has ever seen could wind up having a significant impact on the Thunder's second unit.
Considering his skill-set, familiarity with the franchise, and already-established relationship with cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, this hypothetical reunion would be a match made in heaven for the top-seeds.