The Eastern Conference Finals are yet to begin while the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers will meet in a Game 7 to determine which franchise gets the right to battle the Los Angeles Lakers for the Western Conference crown.
Despite the fact that the 2019-20 season isn’t over, there is already a fresh batch of speculation about what could happen once the season actually concludes. Could Chris Paul be traded? It’s a question that many are pondering.
After falling short in the playoffs last year, Paul was perceived as a player who was over the hill and overpaid, but after one season in Oklahoma City, he’s managed to restore his value to the point that multiple teams — including the Milwaukee Bucks — have been rumored to be monitoring his availability.
The New York Knicks, on the other hand, have long been considered a viable landing spot. Paul’s former agent Leon Rose was hired as the team’s president earlier this year, and many believe it’s only a matter of time before he assembles a package in an attempt to land Paul in New York. The rumors only picked up steam when Sam Presti issued a statement that was received as admitting that the Thunder would continue trading away pieces in order to stockpile assets for the future.
It turns out that the plot thickens.
Paul was traded to the Thunder on July 16, 2019 and, according to the New York Post’s veteran scribe Marc Berman, was sent there after Rose attempted to have him traded to the Knicks instead.
Again, it’s worth noting that Rose is now running the show for the Knicks. Although it isn’t clear what the Knicks would have theoretically sent to Houston (or Oklahoma City if it ended up being a three-team deal), Berman’s report states that the Knicks’ reasoning for not pursuing the deal was that the club was focusing on developing its youth.
After Paul proved that he still has some gas left in the tank, though, it could makes some sense for the Knicks to revisit the idea considering the fact that the Thunder seem to be divesting.
Ever since Leon Rose took over as president, Paul became a legitimate option because the Thunder are mostly in rebuilding mode and Paul is Rose’s favorite former client at Creative Artists Agency.
The Thunder confirmed their rebuilding mode after their season ended in the first round last week when they parted ways with Billy Donovan to continue a youth movement…
Rose tried to get Houston to trade Paul to the Knicks last offseason, but former team president Steve Mills wanted no part of reversing his youth movement. The Knicks have stockpiled draft picks for an occasion like this.
Berman also mentions that the Knicks may want to sent Julius Randle out in a potential deal, but that wouldn’t be necessary if the Knicks exercised its ability to manufacture the cap space to absorb Paul’s contract without sending out a similar sum to Oklahoma City.
It should be pointed out that with Paul under contract for two more seasons at about $85 million total, over-the-cap teams may have trouble assembling a package that Presti would like in return. So, obviously, the Knicks are a team worth keeping an eye on.