Sources: The Phoenix Suns Are The Favourites To Acquire Chris Paul From Oklahoma. Is This A Good Choice For Both Organizations?

After leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a historical season of making the playoffs despite being projected as one of the worst teams in the NBA, Chris Paul has received an overwhelming amount of praise and interest from various organizations. According to ESPN, the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder have had multiple conversations involving Chris Paul as the central focus of a possible trade. With the Phoenix Suns having the best record in the NBA bubble of 8-0, this organization is ready to take a step further and make the NBA playoffs for the first time since they possessed a three-headed point guard roster. Attaining Chris Paul could be the answer to a playoff appearance as the Suns possess a great young roster filled with potential, including current All-Star Devin Booker. If Chris Paul managed to lead an OKC team with many holes in the roster, imagine what he could do with a team that consisted of Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton! The only problem is, what would Phoenix have to offer to attain one of the best point guards in NBA history? 

Although Chris Paul has had a great season after so many doubts from previous organizations and many analysts, a factor that needs to be considered is his age and his contract. With Paul being one of the older players in the NBA while being incredibly overpaid, Phoenix needs to factor in that Paul is human and will eventually decline as a player. Even though he appears not to be regressing as a player, this is significant to his value. Therefore, the best possible trade offer for Chris Paul is Ricky Rubio, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and a future 2021 first-round pick. While this might be viewed as an overpay for an older player who is paid close to 42 million dollars a season, this is a fair trade for both organizations as the Thunder saves an absurd amount of cap while also having two more young players to build towards the future. In essence, the OKC Thunder would make this trade mainly for Mikal Bridges, who displayed great potential and elite defence. The Suns also benefit from this trade as they attain a vocal leader with great playmaking and shooting skills that would be the final piece for a playoff appearance. With the Western Conference dramatically increasing in talent, Phoenix needs to act fast to sustain a level of competitiveness and a playoff appearance. For many years, Devin Booker has stated that making the playoffs is a goal for him, and with his accelerated growth as a player, pairing Chris Paul alongside him could potentially be one of the best back-courts in the NBA. 

With the Thunder already having a vast selection of draft picks and decent young players such as Shai Gilgeous Alexander, this team is built for the future and is in no rush to make a playoff appearance or win a championship. Making this trade means that OKC has accepted that it may take years in returning to playoff status. Since their relocation, the Thunder has been one of the top teams in the NBA; however, that is no longer the case. OKC needs to rebuild and form a young roster in hopes of returning to that status. In contrast, Phoenix needs to trade for Chris Paul to finally appear in the NBA playoffs while also developing confidence as a roster.