Oklahoma City Thunder was looking like the next NBA title contender before the free agency. It all changed when Paul George requested a trade and joined Kawhi Leonard in the Clippers. After that trade deal, Thunder realized that they have no use for Russel Westbrook. The duo of George and Westbrook was very strong and there was no solo player use. It is why they exchanged Westbrook with the Houston Rockets and got Chris Paul in return.
Ever since the deal, it is being rumored that the Thunder will not use Paul and trade him out soon. But there are no buyers and the deal is looking very difficult. It was also reported that they might play one season with Paul before kicking him out. The latest buzz is that Oklahoma City might trade Chris Paul at only one condition.
Importance of Chris Paul
Chris Paul is 34 years old and is a 9-time member of the All-Star NBA team. With a career average of 15.6 points, there is no way any team would not want such an experienced player. The reason why Paul was removed from the Rockets was that things were not right between him and James Harden. There is no way the Rockets would do anything to Harden and hence Paul is now in a new team.
Amazing visit this morning 😱🔝👏 thanks for coming @cp3 #idol #3 🏀⚽️ pic.twitter.com/AhhgA8uJZS
— Ivan Rakitic (@ivanrakitic) August 21, 2019
But it won’t negate the fact that Paul is a very talented veteran player who can still be a good influence on the young ones. The Thunder might use Chris to teach the team members a few things and keep the atmosphere of the locker room calm. It was the same reason why the Miami Heat wanted Paul in their team.
Conditions for a Trade Deal
It still involves a catch as the Oklahoma City might trade Paul to some other team. The only thing they are looking for is a high price and also the next NBA season to get over. Thunder team plans to use Paul in the best way possible and the trade him out on a high-value deal. There is another reason why Oklahoma City Thunder won’t trade out Paul this year.
https://twitter.com/Kofie/status/1164305257301762048
Should the Thunder trade Chris Paul for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee? 🤔⚡️#ThunderUp #Thunder pic.twitter.com/LTEnobdIkZ
— Thunder Nation (@ThunderNationCP) August 19, 2019
If they do so, other teams might think Paul is not in good condition, and hence won’t offer much money for him. On the other hand, if Chris manages to impress everyone in the next NBA season, things could go differently. The good thing is that no matter it’s in the interest of Thunder team, Chris Paul will also get some time to rest and get ready for NBA 2019-20 season.