Tag: Trade Rumors

Chris Paul not surprised OKC competing for playoff spot

The Thunder are over .500 for the first time this year. ESPN’s NBA BPI Playoff Odds gives OKC an 85.4% chance to make the postseason.

Oklahoma City is over .500 for the first time this year, thanks in part to a season’s best four-game winning streak.

Dennis Schroder just won the Western Conference Player of the Week and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander set and then matched a career-high 32 points against the Suns and the Clippers.

OKC has continued on after losing their top two stars off of last year’s rosters.

They’ve found a way to deal with injuries to some of their key players. And they’ve competed in almost every game.

With low expectations heading into the season, there may be a lot of people that are surprised that the Oklahoma City Thunder contending for a playoff spot in the West.

But Chris Paul isn’t one of them.

“Yup,” Paul told Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman after practice on Monday. “I thought we’d actually have a better record. I don’t know who I said it to at some point, but I said, no offense, but as long as I’m on the court I feel like we’ve always got a chance. I don’t care what the team is, what it looks like, who it is or whatever.”

As noted by Mussatto, the oddsmakers are siding with Paul.

As of the time of writing on Thursday, December 26, FiveThirtyEight gives Oklahoma City a 79% chance to make the postseason while ESPN’s NBA BPI Playoff Odds have the Thunder at 85.4%.

Don’t get too crazy though, both sites place OKC’s odds of winning a championship at less than .1%.

However, those numbers reflect the Thunder as they are now, with Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams. And with those players available to be traded, a roster shakeup in Oklahoma City could be imminent.

But Paul’s not worried about that right now. He’s focusing on the “small victories”.

“Everybody always tries to tell your story,” Paul said. “Everybody said I didn’t want to be here either. You know what I mean? I think for us it’s just about continuing to play hard and not get ahead of ourselves. Understand it’s a lot of season left. We just got above .500. You take the small victories.”

Oklahoma City will try and complete a perfect homestand with a win over the Grizzlies on Thursday night.

Tip-off against Memphis is at 7 p.m. inside Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Report: Hawks ‘have discussed’ Steven Adams as potential trade target

Per The Athletic, Steven Adams ‘has been discussed’ as a player the Atlanta Hawks could pursue via trade in an effort to help at center.

Thus far things have been fairly quiet on the trade front since the restrictions on free-agents singed over the summer were lifted on December 15.

But that doesn’t mean that discussions haven’t been going on in front offices across the league.

Oklahoma City has made it known that Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams are available to be traded. Paul so far hasn’t drawn any interest, but Adams has apparently caught the eye of a team in the East.

Per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk “told season tickets holders the team will have to address the center position in the coming months”. To do that, one of the players Atlanta has its eyes on in Oklahoma City big man, Steven Adams.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Oklahoma City is open to accepting the higher salaries that teams want to move, including long-term deals. The Thunder’s Steven Adams is one of those players who could be dealt before the deadline, and he is someone who has been discussed by the Hawks, according to a source inside the organization.

A trade for Adams would be appealing for the Hawks because Adams is slated to make $27 million before becoming a free agent in 2021, which, as noted by Kirschner “would not impact the Hawks during what could be a loaded free agency class”.

That being said, to give up Adams, Sam Presti would certainly want something significant in return.

Should Atlanta want to move forward in a deal for Adams, Kirschner believes that the player the Hawks would be most likely to part with would be Chandler Parsons, “because the salaries would match.”

Parsons is making $25 million this year and will hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

Atlanta does have a first-round draft pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but don’t get too excited, Kirschner doesn’t think that the Hawks would be willing to part with it unless it got them a bonafide NBA star in return.

Report: Heat’s interest in Chris Paul is ‘extinct’

According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Miami Heat have completely moved on the idea of trading for Chris Paul.

There was a time that Chris Paul to Miami seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Apparently, that time has come and gone.

The fact that Oklahoma City and the Heat couldn’t come to an agreement over the summer should have been the first clue that Paul was likely to stay in OKC throughout the duration of the 2019-20 season.

The idea that Paul would get off to a good start, while teams that would need the services of a veteran point guard to position themselves for a playoff push, would struggle, was simply that – an idea.

Paul hasn’t gotten off to a bad start. He’s averaging 16.2 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. More than that, he’s providing leadership and mentorship to a young Thunder squad that’s surprisingly still in contention for a spot in the West.

The fatal flaw in the plan, however, was anticipating that Miami (or other potential trade partners) would struggle through the first two months of the season.

Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, that hasn’t been the case, especially with regards to the Heat. So much so, that according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Miami’s interest in bringing in CP3 “is extinct”.

The Heat inquired about a trade for a relic point guard in Chris Paul but weren’t able to come to an agreement with the Thunder this offseason (or with the Rockets when a three-way deal was discussed before the Paul-for–Russell Westbrook agreement). At this point, Miami’s interest in Paul is extinct, according to league sources. Miami is more likely to chase someone like Jrue Holiday, multiple front office executives believe. Holiday was recently made available by the Pelicans, according to The New York Times’ Marc Stein.

It’s not just the Miami Heat that aren’t willing to take on Paul. The market for a 34-year-old point guard with a huge contract is slim at best.

At this point, it’s more likely that Paul will stay with the Thunder through the end of the season, at which point he could either decide to stay or, the more likely scenario, is one in which both sides could come to an agreement on a buyout and allow Paul to pursue other avenues.

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.

The market for Dennis Schroder and why a trade to Minnesota might work

Why the Oklahoma City Thunder might consider sending Schroder to Minnesota in exchange for Gorgui Dieng and a first-round pick.

While Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Danilo Gallinari are the names most frequently mentioned with regards to potential trades, they’re not the only players that Oklahoma City is open to dealing.

Dennis Schroder could prove to be a very interesting prospect on the trade market, simply because Schroder can fill various roles depending on the needs of any team he might be traded to.

Prior to coming to Oklahoma City, Schroder showed that he can be a starting point guard as he was with the Atlanta Hawks.

This year in OKC, Schroder has thrived as the sixth-man off the bench.

When looking at potential landing spots for Schroder, wherever he would end up, as Nick Crain from Forbes pointed out, Schroder is at his best when he’s a “volume scorer”.

This season, he is a top-65 scorer in the NBA in terms of points per game at 16.8 per contest.With that being said, his 14.2 attempts per game is second on the entire Thunder team. He needs the ball in his hand and opportunities to attack to be efficient.

What makes Schroder even more appealing as a trade option is, as noted by Crain, his age and his contract.

While Schroder is undersized and not the greatest defender, he still is only 26 year old and on a manageable contract worth $15.5 million per year through the 2020-21 season.

Some possible destinations for Schroder that Crain floated are the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Orlando Magic, the Toronto Raptors, or even back to the Atlanta Hawks.

Of those, Minnesota could be an intriguing option. As Crain pointed out, “normally Schroder wouldn’t return a first-round pick”, however, if Oklahoma City sent Schroder to the Timberwolves in return for Gorgui Dieng they might.

Taking on a bad contract in Gorgui Dieng would warrant getting a first round pick in return. This would be a win-win for Minnesota who would get Dieng off their books and also get a much needed scoring guard for a playoff push of their own. Oklahoma City would receive an large, expiring contract to flip next season along with yet another first round pick.

As of yet, however, no moves for any Thunder players have been made.

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.

Not many buyers in Chris Paul trade market

With all of the teams potentially interested in trading for Paul playing well, the market to deal the veteran guard is drying up.

In a perfect world, Chris Paul would have gotten off to a stellar start in Oklahoma City.

In comparison, the teams that had previously been interested in dealing for him: Miami, Milwaukee, and Minnesota would be sluggish and in need of a trade to shake things up.

But things are rarely perfect, and although Paul has indeed excelled as the leader of the Thunder, the trade marker for the 34-year-old veteran is shockingly quiet.

Oklahoma City knew that it would be difficult to offload Paul’s contract. $38.5 million, $41.3 million and $44.2 million per year, starting with this season is a tough sell to anyone.

But, as pointed out by The Oklahoman, for the moment trading CP3 looks more difficult than ever.

But it doesn’t help that Miami, the team that was most interested in Paul during the off-season is off to a 9-3 start. For now, Jimmy Butler seems fine on his own in South Beach.

Or that Minnesota, who already has a superstar in Karl-Anthony Towns, is 8-6 and playing better than their record indicates.

Berry Tramel believes that ultimately, the most likely landing spot for Paul is the Lakers. They “remain the team most likely to covet Paul. Money is no object to the Lakers. And while Davis and LeBron are going great guns, Davis is injury-prone and LeBron is almost 35. Paul would be an insurance policy.”

That being said, the Lakers don’t have much to offer in return to a rebuilding Thunder organization.

The 2019-20 season is just 14 games in. There’s still time for a market to develop, but for now, all is quiet on the Chris Paul front.

Here is why the Bulls could make sense in trade for Danilo Gallinari

A proposed trade between OKC and Chicago could send Gallinari to the Bulls in exchange for Otto Porter, Denzel Valentine, and Luke Kornet.

Almost from the moment that Oklahoma City traded away Paul George and Russell Westbrook, the trade talk surrounding the Thunder was when and where OKC was going to move Chris Paul.

But as the season has progressed, there’s a different name that’s being mentioned with increasing frequency – Danilo Gallinari.

Gallo has been a consistent presence in the Thunder’s lineup through the first 14 games, averaging 19.1 points and shooting 44.5% from the field.

And at 31, Gallinari is three years younger than Paul and his contract, while complicated, isn’t quite as difficult to offload.

Gallo has previously been suggested as a possible candidate in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The newest team that’s been mentioned in conjunction with the 31-year-old is the Chicago Bulls.

Per Fansided’s Pippen Ain’t Easy, the Bulls would propose a trade package of Otto Porter Jr., Denzel Valentine, and Luke Kornet for Gallinari, Terrance Ferguson, and Darius Bazley.

“And what this helps for the Thunder in return from the Bulls is a much-needed two-way wing with Porter Jr. and a strong spot-up three-point shooting presence with fourth-year shooting guard Denzel Valentine. If the Thunder still manage to stay in playoff contention in the Western Conference through the midpoint of the regular season, then a trade like this could make sense.”

As noted by JB Baruelo of Inquisitr, Porter is “clearly an upgrade for Ferguson in the Thunder’s win rotation”.

Through nine games, Porter Jr. is averaging 11.2 points, down from his career-high of 17.5 during the 2018-2019 season. That number, however, is still higher than Ferguson, who is averaging just 5.2 in 25.2 minutes per game.

Chris Paul felt ‘stabbed in the back’ by trade to Thunder

Paul admitted on the latest episode of “Cold As Balls” with Kevin Hart that being dealt by Houston was “eye-opening” and said he felt “stabbed in the back.”

[jwplayer yqduqGwD-z6KDnl0B]

Chris Paul may have orchestrated his trade from the LA Clippers to the Houston Rockets back in 2017 but apparently he wasn’t as prepared to move on from the Rockets this summer.

Despite a rumored rift with Rockets star James Harden, during the latest episode of Kevin Hart’s show “Cold As Balls,” Paul admitted that he didn’t see a trade from Houston coming. Kevin Hart asked if Paul felt like the situation was “a little eye-opening” or whether he felt “stabbed in the back.”

“Absolutely,” said Paul. “This last situation was one of them.”

Paul added:

GM there in Houston, he don’t owe me nothing and (when it comes to trades in the NBA, teams will) do whatever they want to do.

The comments come around the 2:55-minute mark.

As Yahoo Sports points out, the trade from Houston is just another memorable event in Paul’s NBA career that includes the banana boat, the failed trade to the Lakers and the fight with Rajon Rondo.

Since landing in Oklahoma City, Paul has been the subject of continual trade rumors. It is reasonable to believe that, should he be dealt to another team, he would see this one coming.

Through 11 games, Paul is averaging 15.3 points and 5.5 assists for the Thunder.