With Chris Paul’s 2019-20 Season Performance, OKC Thunder Could Be ‘More Selective’ In Trades This Offseason
When they acquired him in a blockbuster deal with the Houston Rockets last summer, most people believed that it would be impossible for the Oklahoma City Thunder to find veteran point guard Chris Paul a new home without giving up a young player or a future first-round pick. Aside from his age and deteriorating performance, Paul is owed a massive contract that runs until the 2021-22 NBA season. However, plenty of things have changed since the 2019 offseason.
After moving out of the shadow of James Harden, Paul has managed to bring his old self back in Oklahoma City and proved to everyone in the league that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank. This season, the 35-year-old floor general is posting incredible numbers, averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc. According to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, Paul’s incredible performance in the 2019-20 NBA season gave the Thunder the power to be “more selective” in engaging in potential deals involving the veteran point guard this summer.
“The Thunder will have more options at their disposal, whatever they are, than they did in the middle of last July and leading into February’s deadline. Paul has also played well enough for them to be more selective. They can hang up on anyone who wants a sweetener in exchange for swallowing his money. Oklahoma City might even be bullish on keeping Paul. It doesn’t have anyone else capable of running the offense on his own — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t that player yet — and is contending for a top-four playoff spot. Re-signing Danilo Gallinari and running it back, at least until next year’s trade deadline, is absolutely on the table.”
In just a few months, Paul has indeed succeeded to raise his trade value. Aside from establishing an All-Star caliber performance, Paul also showed that he’s capable of leading an NBA team to playoff contention. Before the NBA suspension due to the spread of coronavirus, the Thunder were sitting in the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference with a 40-24 record. Though they aren’t considered as the heavy favorite to come out of the Western Conference, Paul and the Thunder will undeniably be a huge headache to every NBA team they face in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
It’s definitely nice for the Thunder to have plenty of options in the summer of 2020. Still, the best move for the Thunder is to trade Paul and their veterans and start focusing on the development of their young players. Even if they want to run it back next season, bringing three of their core players — Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, and Dennis Schroder — would be difficult for the Thunder. Also, as Favale noted, Paul’s trade value won’t improve as it currently is.
Unlike the previous offseason, the Thunder are no longer expected to have a hard time finding an NBA team who will absorb Paul’s massive salary this summer. If things go their way, the Thunder may even acquire valuable assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process in exchange for Paul.
