NBA Rumors: Miami Heat ‘Most Obvious Choice’ To Acquire Chris Paul From OKC Thunder, Per ‘Sports Illustrated’
After two seasons, the Houston Rockets decided to break the explosive backcourt duo of Chris Paul and James Harden. In a blockbuster deal, the Rockets traded Paul, two future first-round picks (2024 and 2026), and the rights to two first-round swaps (2021 and 2025) to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook. The Rockets pushed through with the trade to give James Harden a younger superstar teammate to maximize his championship window.
Meanwhile, the deal allowed the Thunder to nab a new point guard while acquiring future draft picks that will enable them to speed up the rebuilding process. However, Chris Paul may not last long in Oklahoma City, as the Thunder are currently finding trade partners who are willing to absorb the two years and $85.5 million left on his contract. Despite their failed trade negotiation involving Russell Westbrook, Michael Shapiro of Sports Illustrated believes that the Miami Heat remain as the “most obvious choice” to become the Thunder’s trade partner for Paul.
“Miami is the most obvious choice to acquire the All-Star point guard. They engaged Oklahoma City in negotiations for Westbrook, but deemed the asking price too high. Presti’s price for Paul is likely lower, even with the shorter contract. Westbrook is the superior player and an All-NBA talent. Paul is now clearly a second option. The Heat should be able to retain Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo in a CP3 deal, both of whom were a likely non-starter in trade talks for Westbrook. Presti may be able to wrangle another pick from Miami for Paul, or at worst salary relief.”
ESPN story on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chris Paul preparing for the likelihood that they'll start the 2019-20 season together. https://t.co/kIKZHymk28
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 17, 2019
The successful acquisition of Jimmy Butler in the 2019 NBA free agency puts the Heat in a win-now mode. However, though the arrival of Butler is expected to boost their performance on both ends of the floor, the Heat still need additional star power to — at the very least — become a threat in the Eastern Conference next season. Chris Paul may no longer be in his prime, but he will still be a great addition to the Heat, giving them a second reliable scoring option next to Butler.
At 34, there is no doubt that Paul is already on the downside of his NBA career, but he still has lots of gas left in his tank and can post incredible numbers. Last season, the veteran point guard averaged 15.6 points, 8.2 assists, and 2.0 steals on 41.9 percent shooting from the field and 35.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc. However, the success of the Paul-to-Heat trade depends on the Thunder’s asking price. If Thunder general manager Sam Presti insists on the inclusion of Bam Adebayo or Justise Winslow in the trade package, it is highly likely that Paul will be starting the season in Oklahoma City.
