Rumour: The Oklahoma City Thunder Plan On Trading Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Steven Adams In The Off-Season. What Teams Should Go After Them?
After a remarkable season, the Oklahoma City Thunder defied all odds and managed to make the playoffs as the fifth seed and took the Houston Rockets to seven games! Chris Paul led his team to the playoffs and displayed enthusiasm and leadership that propelled the Thunder way above expectations. Trading away Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul was a questionable decision at the time, but after looking at what Oklahoma accomplished, this trade worked in their favour. However, Chris Paul on the Thunder is not a permanent destination for the star as he would want to represent a title contender. Even though Chris Paul did have arguably the most fun and enjoyment of his entire career, his legacy is on the line. If Chris Paul can win a championship and be a solid contributor, the argument of him not being a top 10 point guard of all-time would be squashed. The Oklahoma City Thunder may have given Chris Paul a resurrection to his career, but unfortunately, they lack the assets to build around Chris Paul to become a title contender. With that known fact, Royce Young, who covers Thunder basketball on ESPN, believes that this team could move at least three pieces to embark a rebuild for the Thunder. As much as Chris Paul is loved in OKC, organizations have proven that they are a business first and will do anything in their power to do what’s best for the organization.
In terms of the three pieces that Royce Young is referring too, these pieces are most likely Chris Paul, Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder, who are projected to be traded this off-season. Trading away Chris Paul and Steven Adams makes sense as they both currently have absurd contracts that restrict OKC in signing any new players this off-season. However, trading away Dennis Shroder makes no sense as he was a sixth man of the year nominee while also being a spark plug for the Thunders offence. As good as Shai is, having a back-up point guard that can average 15 or more points and facilitate the ball at a substantial rate should add value to a team. His contract may be large for a bench player, but his production makes up for his contract.
In the last few seasons, Steven Adams went from being the most underrated center in the NBA to a player that lacks passion. At one point in his career, NBA fans believed that Steven Adams could one day make it to an All-Star game. However, in the last two postseasons, Adams has been a player that sets hard screens while being just a body in the paint. His tenacity to grab a rebound or score inside has depleted. In the series against Houston, Adams was the largest and strongest player on the court and should have taken over. Yet his lack of passion has slowed him down physically, making him one of the most overpaid centers in the NBA. In the 2019 playoffs against Portland, Steven Adams could not do anything against Enes Kanter, who is currently a benchwarmer for the Boston Celtics! Kanter played incredibly well, but the lack of assertiveness to challenge a shot or even score over Kanter, who is known as a terrible defender, heavily lacked in that series. In the past, Adams has displayed unique dominance on both ends of the floor, but as of right now, he is simply an overpaid average center!
Since the 2016-17 season, Chris Paul has been regarded as a villain in the NBA. From the way he handled his trade request from the Los Angeles Clippers to his tenure with the Houston Rockets, Paul has had it rough in the last few seasons and needed a change in scenery to slow down and reflect. As a result, Paul became an All-Star again this season as he led the Thunder to one of the best seasons in their franchise history! Even though they did lose to Houston in seven games, their journey to the playoffs was undescribable for NBA fans. To witness his eyes of enjoyment illustrated that he was never the issue in Houston or Los Angeles; it was the rest of the team. How do the Lob City Clippers, who were contenders for many years, have a similar record to this Thunder team in the playoffs? The Clippers only made it out of the first round once and would lose in the second round against a young Golden State Warriors team! Chris Paul, who is much older in the present day, was merely a point away from making it to the next round, making their game seven loss even more tragic.
This season was needed for Paul as he was given no choice but to resurrect himself from the ground-up. With this historic season, teams are now interested in trading for Paul as they value every aspect of the game! Organizations such as the 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers are all interested in Paul because of what he accomplished with the Thunder this season. He may have lost in the playoffs this season, but he won in other aspects and will hopefully get a championship that he so desperately deserves!
In the end, Oklahoma trading away Chris Paul, Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder would embark a new beginning for this franchise. Even though they will be regarded as one of the most beloved teams in the 2019-20 season, the Thunder are a business and need to focus on what is best for their team’s interests. Trading these players will free up cap-space while providing more draft picks! OKC is in no rush to win a championship and should instead look to find players to build around their future All-Star. In terms of what teams should trade for, here are some trade proposals that teams could do!
Trades For Steven Adams.
Boston Celtics- Gordon Hayward and a second-round draft pick in exchange for Steven Adams and Mike Muscala (if he accepts player option).
Charlotte Hornets- Nicolas Batum and a first-round pick in exchange for Steven Adams.
Golden State Warriors- Andrew Wiggins, Marquese Chris, and a first-round pick in exchange for Steven Adams and Hamidou Diallo.
Trades For Chris Paul
Utah Jazz- Mike Conley, Tony Bradley and two second-round picks in exchange for Chris Paul and Mike Muscala (if he accepts player option).
Orlando Magic- Aaron Gordan, Evan Fournier and a second-round pick in exchange for Chris Paul.
Dallas Mavericks- Dwight Powell, Delon Wright and a first-round pick in exchange for Chris Paul.
Miami Heat- Goran Dragic (sign and trade), Andre Iguodala, and a first-round pick in exchange for Chris Paul.
Phoenix Suns- Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre in exchange for Chris Paul, Terrence Ferguson and two second-round draft picks.
Note- Dennis Schroder should not be traded which entails that we did not provide any potential trade offers for him.