NBA Rumors: Chris Paul Trade Could Solve Bucks’ ‘Greatest Weakness,’ Per ‘CBS Sports’
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul is expected to be one of the hottest commodities on the trade market in the 2020 NBA offseason. Paul might no longer be in his prime, but this season he managed to prove that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank and could help a team that is seriously aiming to win a championship title. One of the potential suitors for Paul this summer is the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks may currently own the best record in the league, but if they fall short of achieving their main goal, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports believes that Milwaukee may consider upgrading their backcourt and replacing Eric Bledsoe with Paul as their new starting point guard.
“Milwaukee may have been content to play playoff roulette with Bledsoe yet again this spring, but if it loses again, or more distressingly, doesn’t get the chance to after a canceled season, the Bucks would suddenly have only [one] more chance to win a championship with Giannis before his 2021 free agency. Fear is an agent of change. The Bucks might not be enthused about Paul’s contract, but could be willing to bite the bullet in an all-or-nothing year-long recruiting pitch to the reigning MVP.”
Paul is indeed an upgrade over Bledsoe at the point guard position. Though he is five years older, Paul is a better passer, playmaker, and scorer than Bledsoe, and he is more familiar with the playoff environment. This season, the 35-year-old floor general is averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Quinn believes that the successful acquisition of Paul would enable the Bucks to solve their “greatest weakness,” which is the clutch offense where they currently rank No. 12 in the NBA. As Quinn noted, before the suspension due to the spread of coronavirus, Paul was leading the league in clutch points “by a margin wider than the gap between No. 2 Trae Young and No. 6 Zach LaVine.”
To acquire Paul from the Thunder, Quinn suggested that the Bucks could offer a trade package including Bledsoe, George Hill, Ersan Ilyasova, and the Indiana Pacers’ 2020 first-round pick to Oklahoma City. The potential deal would be beneficial for the Thunder, especially if they finally decide to undergo a full-scale rebuild. Aside from freeing a huge chunk of their salary cap space, the Thunder would be acquiring a future draft pick that would enable them to add another young and promising talent to their roster.
