Report: ‘No belief’ Thunder will trade Chris Paul this season

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Sunday there is ‘no belief’ that Oklahoma City will be able to trade Chris Paul at any point this season.

Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, and Dennis Schroder could all be on the move at any point over the next six weeks. But it sounds like Chris Paul might be in Oklahoma City to stay.

At least through the end of the season.

That’s not exactly breaking news. Oklahoma City tried moving Paul prior to the start of the season without any luck.

Their backup plan—that CP3 got off to a fantastic start while teams that needed a veteran point guard wouldn’t, thus creating a need to bring in Paul for a playoff push, hasn’t either.

As such, the consensus around the league has been that Paul would remain a part of the Thunder through the 2019-20 season, primarily because his contract is just too big for another team to take on.

Adrian Wojnarowski all but confirmed that during an ESPN special alongside Zach Lowe on Sunday, where he said it’s fairly certain that Paul will finish the season with the Thunder.

“There is no belief in Oklahoma City or even the CP3 camp that there’s going to be a trade for him. After the season, another year off that giant contract? Maybe. He’s played well for them. Forty million dollars plus, they’re resigned that he’ll be there.”

The sticking point is that Paul is in only the second year of a four-year, $160 million dollar deal. He’s getting $38 million this season, with that figure set to increase in 2020-21. Coupled with his age and injuries in recent years and it’s a tough sell.

The plus side for the Thunder is that despite trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George for a younger, more experienced roster, the team is still contending for a playoff spot in the West.

Oklahoma City has dropped a lot of close games, and if they start finding a way to win them consistently they could reasonably have a chance to play in the postseason.

Why trading Danilo Gallinari for Myles Turner makes sense for OKC

The Oklahoma City Thunder could benefit by trading Danilo Gallinari to the Indiana Pacers in return for Myles Turner.

It’s time to put up or shut up for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Sunday, December 15 marks the start of when any player that signed a free-agent deal over the summer can finally be traded.

Since the Thunder have several players that fall into that category, it’s time for Sam Presti and company to decide if Oklahoma City is going to stay at the cusp of a postseason spot and hope they can play their way into the playoffs, or if OKC is going to go full rebuild, knowing that there’s a stable full of draft picks that can likely help in the future.

Oklahoma City has already let it be known that they are looking to trade Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams, as reports are out there that the Thunder “made them available”.

While the consensus around the league remains that Chris Paul’s contract may prevent him from being traded, Gallinari remains an intriguing option for many teams.

One team that Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes would benefit by trading for Gallinari is the Indiana Pacers.

Calling him “one of this season’s most intriguing trade candidates”, Bailey suggests that the Pacers should send Myles Turner to Oklahoma City for Gallinari as Indiana “might have a higher ceiling with (Domantas) Sabonis playing alongside a playmaking 4”.

Danilo Gallinari is averaging 18.3 points with a 62.4 true shooting percentage in only 30.4 minutes per game. There are only 11 players in NBA history who have at least 500 three-point attempts and match his career marks for points per 75 possessions (19.2) and true shooting percentage (59.0). He’s in the top 100 all-time in career offensive box plus/minus.

Although Turner has gotten off to a less than ideal start, Bailey argues that Turner’s age and contract are what makes him an intriguing prospect for the Thunder.

The Pacers center is off to a slow start this season, posting a career low in win shares per 48 minutes, but he’s only 23 years old. He’s also on a reasonable contract ($18 million per year) through 2023. There could be much worse starts to a reboot than a core of Turner and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

On its face, the deal makes sense for the Thunder. Gallinari is in the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Thunder could trade him now, and get a young player that fits their long-term timeline or wait and risk losing him after the season and getting nothing in return.

Chris Paul’s big contract a big problem for potential trades

Chris Paul is set to make almost $80 million over the next two seasons, which could keep CP3 with the Oklahoma City Thunder through the end of 2019-20.

Oklahoma City may make Chris Paul available during the trade period, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily going anywhere.

It’s no secret that Paul’s contract makes him tough to trade. The Thunder ran into that issue over the summer when they were unable to make a deal to send the 14-year veteran to Miami.

At 34-years-old, age isn’t helping CP3 any either.

But the hope in Oklahoma City has been that Paul would get off to a great start, that potential playoff teams would need some help and, ultimately, that a deal would be able to get done. However, it appears league executives don’t believe that is going to be the case.

According to Tim Haberstroh of NBC Sports, the consensus around the NBA is that Paul will end this season exactly where he started – in Oklahoma City, due in part to his “enormous contract”:

After polling executives, the league-wide sense is that Paul will remain with the Thunder this season simply because of his enormous contract. While it’s theoretically possible that Paul could agree to turn down his $44 million player option for 2021-22 to grease the wheels on a potential trade, right now, that is the longest of long shots.

Thanks to Paul being the president of the players’ union, Haberstroh also notes, the optics of turning down such a sizable option wouldn’t look particularly good:

Besides overcoming the idea of giving up 44 million buckaroos, Paul is also the president of the players’ union and it would be a bad look to set that precedent of turning down that amount of money to make it more palatable to a team.

As pointed out by Bleacher Report, Paul is set to make just under $80 million over the next two seasons ($79.7 million, to be exact), and “holds a $44.2 million option for 2021-22.”

Currently, Paul is averaging 15.7 points and 6.1 assists for the Thunder, shooting right around 45% from the field.

Oklahoma City, though not expected to contend for the playoffs, is currently in seventh place in the Western Conference standings with the Kings and the Suns.

NBA Rumors: Could Portland be interested in trade for Danilo Gallinari?

Gallinari has shown himself to be a capable stretch four, which is what the Trail Blazers need to complement their explosive back court.

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Surprise, surprise. Danilo Gallinari’s name has come up in trade rumors again.

Every since Gallo came to Oklahoma City as part of the blockbuster deal for Paul George in July, his tenure with the Thunder has had an expected expiration date.

It’s not really surprising, to be honest. The better he plays during the early part of the season, the more his name is going to get tossed around as a potential player on the move.

And Gallinari has been really good as of late.

He’s second on the team in scoring at 18.6 points per game. His three-point play has been a huge boost to a Thunder team that hasn’t shot three’s well in recent years. Gallinari is hitting 43.7% of his shots from the perimeter, which is sixth-best in the NBA.

Which makes it reasonable to believe that the Portland Trailblazers would be interested in acquiring him.

Per The Ringer’s Paolo Uggetti, Portland may be on the lookout for a big man they can bring in after suffering roster turnovers and inconvenient injuries. Gallo could be the perfect fit.

“Danilo Gallinari is another trade candidate who could fit in well with this team. He would be the perfect stretch 4 to play with Portland’s deadly backcourt. And while it’s unclear what Oklahoma City’s ultimate goals are for this season, Gallinari and his expiring contract could be a tasty asset for Sam Presti to try to swap for another first-round pick.”

Inquisitor’s JB Baruelo likewise believes that Portland could be a good landing spot for Gallinari, should the Thunder still be committed to an overhaul.

“Gallinari would be an incredible addition to the Trail Blazers, giving them an All-Star-caliber power forward who could serve as their third-best scoring option behind Lillard and McCollum. Having a floor-spacing big man like Gallinari would further improve the Trail Blazers’ offensive efficiency, which currently ranks 10th in the league.”

The question is, would a first-round pick being enough to entice Presti to move a guy that has been so integral so far this season. It might have to be.

As Baruelo points out, ‘trading him for future draft assets before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline would be their best option, rather than letting him walk away in the 2020 NBA free agency as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return.”