NBA Rumors: Chris Paul Reportedly ‘Wanted To Go’ To Milwaukee Bucks In 2019 Offseason

With averages of 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in his first four games for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul is posting some of his lowest numbers in a stellar NBA career that is now in its 15th season. Even with the 2019-20 season already underway, rumors are still swirling around the nine-time All-Star point guard and the possibility that the rebuilding Thunder will ship him off to another team. However, new reports suggest that if Paul had his way in the 2019 offseason, he might have been traded instead to a top Eastern Conference contender — the Milwaukee Bucks.

As cited by NBC Sports, ESPN’s “well connected” Ryen Russillo appeared this week on colleague Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast, The Woj Pod, where he briefly commented on where Paul supposedly wanted to be traded to during the recently concluded offseason.

“I had heard he wanted to go to Milwaukee. Of course, you’d want to go play with Giannis [Antetokounmpo].”

Instead of getting shipped to the Bucks, Paul was traded to the Thunder with several future draft picks in exchange for Russell Westbrook, who is now teaming with James Harden on the Houston Rockets. As seen on his Basketball-Reference player page, Paul’s tenure with the Rockets lasted just two seasons and 116 games, as he averaged 17.1 points, five rebounds, and eight assists per game for a team that fell just one game short of the NBA Finals in the 2018 playoffs.

Buzzer beater ?? @CP3 | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/m6orjOHDgJ

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 27, 2019

Although NBC Sports‘ Kurt Helin opined that it’s a “good sign” that Paul is, or was reportedly interested in playing for the Bucks, he added that there’s not much of a chance that the 34-year-old NBA veteran will be sent to Milwaukee. He wrote that the Bucks currently have Eric Bledsoe and George Hill splitting time at the point guard position, as well as a franchise player in Antetokounmpo, who is “going to want to have the ball in his hands a lot of the time.” It was also pointed out that Milwaukee might not be the best fit for an aging floor leader like Paul, who currently prefers a more deliberate style of play than the uptempo pace favored by the Bucks.

“The Bucks want to play fast and attack in transition, Paul wants to slow it down and survey the floor — notice how much faster the Rockets are playing with Russell Westbrook in for CP3. The list goes on and on, but you get the idea.”

Despite Helin’s skepticism that Paul will make his way to the Bucks at some point in the near future, a report from last week suggested that Milwaukee might be a “dark horse” for the former All-NBA point guard’s services. As recapped by The Inquisitr, Bleacher Report‘s Zach Buckley wrote that Paul’s ability to shoot from long range and play tough defense