NBA Rumors: Chris Paul Probably Staying With Thunder, Woj Says
The blockbuster trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets and Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder was reported over a week ago but only officially announced this week. Since then, Paul has been the subject of rumors of another trade.
However, according to a new report, it doesn’t appear now that the Thunder are able to find a trade partner for Paul, and the veteran point guard is likely to at least begin the new NBA season in Oklahoma City.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported for ESPN Wednesday that while the Thunder have engaged in trade talks involving Paul, those talks have “stalled.” And citing league sources, Woj reported that “an increasing expectation exists that he will start the season with the Thunder.”
The Thunder have been “working with” Paul and his team on finding a trade to his satisfaction, but that’s proven easier said than done. That’s largely because Paul, who is 34-years-old, has a massive amount of money remaining on his contract, and at this stage of the offseason, very few teams have any significant salary-cap space. And following an NBA offseason with an unusually large amount of player movement, many teams have either used up their cap space, traded their tradeable players, or done both.
The report also stated that the Thunder will likely revisit the chance to trade Paul on December 15 — the date when players who signed contracts with new teams in the offseason are eligible to be traded — or possibly after the season.
ESPN NBA reporter Bobby Marks, in a tweet quoted by Wojnarowski, stated that 40 percent of NBA players under contract cannot be traded, while there are “no teams with significant cap space.”
Discussions to move Chris Paul have hit a standstill and there is an "increasing expectation" that he starts the season with OKC, per @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/U6dgIuxatW
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 17, 2019
Both Paul and the Thunder, the report said, are comfortable with the idea of the player starting the year in Oklahoma City, while Paul has played in the city before, when his former team, the New Orleans Hornets, played in Oklahoma when they were displaced from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The Thunder are also interested in the idea of Paul mentoring young guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who Oklahoma City acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in their trade for Paul George.
A Miami Herald report, also Wednesday, stated that the Miami Heat engaged in talks with the Thunder for a Paul trade, but that the Heat had not “aggressively pursued” the deal for the accomplished point guard.
