We return to talk about Chris Paul to the Knicks.
The structure of this deal is highly flexible, as the New York Knicks can waive the rights to several additional players to bring Paul to the cap space, or include those guys in the deal if the Thunder carves out space in other ways and wants, say , Elfrid Payton.
At a minimum the Knicks must include Ntilikina and Knox to get any interest from Thunder. Both perspectives have obvious flaws – Ntilikina does not have an offensive game and Knox lacks defense and efficiency in the scores – but they are both young and should improve with time. However, they won’t help New York win next season, and that’s the point.
Paul would have given New York a pick-and-roll identity and Mitchell Robinson would have filled the lobs of the house at rates that bordered on the obscene. Julius Randle would have been a tough guy, but perhaps he could have driven the second unit. If RJ Barrett arrives, New York would also have his secondary director on the wing.