NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Chris Paul Trade Talks with Heat, Thunder Future
So Chris Paul is a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. I'm just saying it out loud again so we can all reckon with this fact because apparently he could be there longer than anyone initially expected.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that there is an "increasing expectation" that Paul will begin the season in Oklahoma City after the team struggled to find a trade partner.
Brett Dawson of The Athletic also said the Thunder made the Paul-Russell Westbrook swap fully prepared for CP3 to at least begin his season in Oklahoma.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the situation on his Hoop Collective podcast, saying the Heat wanted too much in exchange for taking back Paul's contract in brief discussions that predated the Houston-OKC swap:
"While I have been told that Oklahoma City and Miami haven't like had any formal talks about a Chris Paul trade, they obviously had talks about the Russell Westbrook trade and what I heard about that was one of the conversations that happened in that negotiation before the Houston deal happened, the Thunder had been willing to discuss giving the Heat back their 2021 and maybe even their 2023 picks as part of the deal. But they wanted the 2024 and 2026 picks they got back from Houston unprotected and I think they wanted pick swaps too."
Windhorst added, per Ashish Mathur of Clutch Points: "The other thing I heard was that it was basically if Chris wanted to get traded to the Heat now, he would maybe have had to been willing to decline his player option."
The Heat are the only team with the combination of desperation and contracts that can logically make a deal right now. Everyone else is essentially hamstrung until Dec. 15, when contracts signed this summer can be traded.
So, what does this mean exactly?
Well, first of all, the Thunder are probably going to be better than anyone expects at the start of the season. Paul, Andre Roberson, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, Nerlens Noel, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander...that's a legitimate NBA rotation with a bunch of guys who can either shoot or rim run and defend around Paul.
It's possible that this year's Thunder turn into last year's Clippers, a group of guys most expected to miss the playoffs who rallied behind a team concept.
Gallinari was a borderline All-Star last season. Paul is still one of the game's most effective per-minute players. Adams will be motivated after a disappointing season and actually allowed to grab rebounds. Roberson is in a contract year and will look to prove himself as one of the game's best defenders before hitting free agency.
The Thunder are certainly in the midst of a rebuild. But if Paul can somehow lead this team to playoff contention, it might be the best result for both sides finding a trade partner in February or next summer.
