During Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals, Jeff Van Gundy directly asked Chris Paul how he felt about the prospect of playing out the final few years of his career in a “rebuilding” situation, to which Paul provided the perfect answer.
Paul expressed love for Sam Presti and Billy Donovan and referred to being a Thunder as “a blessing,” but one thing that Paul didn’t do was unequivocally state that he wanted to remain in Oklahoma City.
Whether he does or doesn’t, though, his future has been the most prevalent question in an offseason that is likely to see the Thunder continue to make some dramatic changes.
The day after Paul’s appearance, veteran scribe Marc Berman of the New York Post published a fresh report in which he provided an update on the Knicks’ immediate plans.
Leon Rose, Paul’s former agent, has assumed the role of president for the Knicks and many believe that New York — desperate to lay the foundation for a winning culture — will be one of the teams in a position to make a strong offer for Paul this offseason. Berman, however, writes that the Knicks may be more interested in pursuing Victor Oladipo.
In his report, though, Berman cites sources as saying that Paul may prefer to take his talents elsewhere before the 2020-21 season begins.
Some NBA sources believe Paul would feel blessed to be on a winning club such as the Bucks. But perhaps Paul, too, would desire to play in the world’s biggest media market and reunite with Leon Rose, his former agent.
“He’s 35 — he wants to win,’’ one NBA executive said.
While Rose, the Knicks rookie president, has Paul on his trade radar, putting together a package for younger Pacers’ guard Victor Oladipo is expected to be a higher priority…
If Berman’s report is accurate, it could spell bad news for Sam Presti, as the Knicks are one of the few teams that seem to have the ideal combination of assets that would seem appealing to Oklahoma City: draft picks, promising young prospects, the ability to absorb salaries due to their ability to create cap space and players on short-term contracts who could be used in a Paul deal.
That said, Paul is coming off of a bounceback season in which he seemingly proved that he still has a lot of gas left in the tank. If he were to be shopped, it’s difficult to imagine that at least a half-dozen of the league’s teams wouldn’t be interested in his services.
It’s worth mentioning that Paul doesn’t have a no-trade clause and therefore, doesn’t officially have a say in where he lands. It is possible, however, that Presti weighs his personal wishes if and when deciding among multiple offers.
At this point, there seems to be a lot of smoke to this fire.