In recent years, December 15 has become regarded as the unofficial beginning to NBA trade season, as that date is when players who signed free agency deals the preceding summer can be traded.
As the date approaches this season, Chris Paul, Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari have been made available, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
The news should come as no surprise, as the three veteran players have remained productive in their own rights. Still, none of the three seem to fit with a rebuilding team, which Oklahoma City appears to be. That designation is a bit interesting, though, as the Thunder enter play on December 10 as the seventh seed in the Western Conference.
Not many would consider the club to be a championship contender, though, so it would make sense that Sam Presti would be open to moving the veterans out if he thought it would give him the means to rebuild the team around some of its younger pieces, including, perhaps, 21-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The following comes from O’Connor’s An Early Primer for NBA Trade Season:
The Thunder are just 11-12, but that’s good enough today for the 7-seed in the West. Despite their moderate success, plans haven’t changed; Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, and other veterans are all available, according to league sources…
The Thunder could be used as a facilitator to take on a salary in a multiple-team trade, or simply take back big salaries in return if it means receiving more assets. Cap space is scarce across the league, and teams are already looking to dump salaries to open space for the loaded 2021 free-agent class, headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Over the years, if there’s one thing Presti has been—aside from stellar—it’s proactive. Although not all of his moves have worked out in his favor, the trades involving James Harden, Reggie Jackson, Serge Ibaka, Paul George and Russell Westbrook were each done somewhat proactively.
Although Paul is the most accomplished of the mentioned players, he remains the most difficult to move because he stands to earn almost $86 million next season and the following. He could obviously help a team win, but not many clubs are believed to be clamoring to add that kind of salary to their books because Paul will be 37 years old by the time his current deal ends.
As December 15 approaches, however, one should certainly expect that Presti will be working the phones. Traditionally, he hasn’t been afraid to roll the dice, and with O’Connor’s report, it appears that this season will be no exception should the opportunity present itself.