The Oklahoma City Thunder got nine-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a blockbuster trade that saw Russell Westbrook leaving after 11 seasons with the team. It was expected that Paul would not play a single game with the Thunder as he was looking to move to an NBA contender this summer. However, according to ESPN, those plans will have to be put on hold for now because there are no contenders with enough cap space or roster structure to bring Paul.
Here is the formula for why:
*40% of players under contract cannot be traded
* There are no teams with significant cap space (ATL has the most @ $7M)
* Biggest trade exception is GSW ($17.2M) who is hard capped- next is DAL @ $11.8M https://t.co/H6FExQmTAf
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 17, 2019
Paul has three years, $124 million left on his contract, and with no team capable of taking it at the moment, both OKC and Paul believe the point guard should play out the season with the Thunder. They could explore a trade later in the season or at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti is happy with the idea of Paul playing for his team this season while Paul is ready to accept the situation and play a vital role in the upcoming campaign. The Thunder aren’t championship contenders, but they do have a solid team with Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, Dennis Schroder, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Chris Paul can serve as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s mentor and help in the player’s development. The backcourt of Paul, Schroder, and Gilgeous-Alexander is surely above average in the NBA, but the Thunder are thin at forward position. Still, they are not willing to surrender any of their future draft picks in Paul’s deal. The Thunder will have around 15 first-round picks in the next seven NBA Drafts.
Paul already played in Oklahoma City during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaign when Hurricane Katrina forced his New Orleans Hornets team to relocate there.
(2006) OKC Chris Paul. pic.twitter.com/y1oKhl1OAg
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) July 12, 2019
