Chris Paul’s days as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder may be numbered, but those hoping that he would find his way to Milwaukee to team up with Giannis Antetokounmpo may be out of luck.
Immediately after the Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs by the Miami Heat, speculation began as to how the team would attempt to continue to build around Antetokounmpo. Paul seemed to be an obvious target for the Bucks, especially since Giannis has the ability to become a free agent after the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. The team is under immense pressure to win with Giannis and win now.
For the Bucks, the want to add talent to their club syncs with the path that the Thunder have seemingly charted toward a full-out rebuild, and Step 1 of that plan is believed to be finding a new home for Paul. The Bucks are a team that could obviously use him, but the New York Knicks have been linked to Paul, as well.
Nonetheless, Milwaukee’s pursuit may end before it even begins, as according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Bucks’ ownership is wary of Paul’s price tag — his contract calls for him to earn about $85 million over the next two seasons.
Because Milwaukee is over the salary cap, constructing a trade for Paul would be difficult without including some combination of Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Eric Bledsoe and George Hill. Based on what we know, it’s fair to assume that veteran players on long-term and/or big money contracts wouldn’t have appeal for Oklahoma City. If it did, Paul would probably be sure to stay a Thunder.
So, in other words, don’t expect a move to Milwaukee for Paul.
As for the reported prospect of the Bucks pursuing Oklahoma City point guard Chris Paul as a possible solution to the roster deficiencies, sources with knowledge of ownership’s thinking said it is highly unlikely.
The cost of bringing him aboard — Paul is owed $41.3 million next season and has a player option worth $44.2 million in the 2021-22 campaign — and the potential difficulty of bringing Paul onto a roster already led by a strong personality in Antetokounmpo seems to limit the chances of the Bucks moving to pair the two All-Stars. All indications are that the Bucks would rather look elsewhere.
They might not have to look far, as Dennis Schroder could make some sense for Milwaukee, as well.
Few people have any idea what the offseason holds for either Milwaukee or Oklahoma City, but at the very least, it may cause the balance of power in the league to shift.