Chris Paul on the move?

NBA star point guard Chris Paul has been involved in many trade talks recently.  He is 35 years old and sure to be a Hall of Famer when he retires.  In 2018 Paul was signed to a four-year $160 million contract with the Houston Rockets.  A year later he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal for all-star point guard Russell Westbrook.

At the beginning of the season, many counted out the Thunder as Chris Paul was their only star and he was 35 years old.  Despite all of the critics and skeptics, Chris Paul and the Thunder proved them wrong and made their way to the 5th seed in the Western Conference.  Chris Paul’s impact was on display the whole season as he mentored the young Thunder team.  In the playoffs, the Thunder put up a good fight against the Houston Rockets in round 1 but were eliminated after 6 games of play.

Today the NBA’s stars are pretty evenly spread out there are many teams with 2 stars.  However, some of these teams lack a playmaker, a role that Chris Paul could most definitely fill and would overachieve in.  One of the teams that could use a playmaker like Chris Paul is the LA Clippers.  They have an amazing team with two all-stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.  On top of these two, they have Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Marcus Morris, etc.  That’s a lot of players who can score, but not necessarily a great facilitator.  They lost in the second round this year after being the title favorites but acquiring Chris Paul would make them title favorites again.

Another team, that could use Chris Paul would be the Milwaukee Bucks who also lost in the second round this year.  They have the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as all-star Khris Middleton.  Acquiring Chris Paul to facilitate the offense with these two scorers would undoubtedly elevate their offense.  Not to mention, Chris Paul is a terrific defender also.

Lastly, another team that has been in talks of a Chris Paul trade is the defending champion LA Lakers.  Not necessarily a team that needs a playmaker as they have two of the best to ever do it in LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, but Rondo is a free agent although it seems likely that he will stay.  Chris Paul on this Lakers team would be a sight to see.  It would allow LeBron James to play small forward more than point guard meaning he would be able to focus most of his energy on scoring and defending than on playmaking.  Chris Paul to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis would most definitely be title favorites.

There are a lot of options for the Thunder to choose from as Chris Paul is wanted by many teams.  Wherever he ends up he will certainly have a significant impact and hopefully, he will be able to earn himself a ring.