Longtime playmaker Chris Paul is one of the last names that has been talked about. After all, the 35-year-old has had an excellent season with the Oklahoma City Thunder ever since Houston traded him for Russell Westbrook.
Paul was truly one of the bright lights for the Thunder this season. He helped them on their way to the playoffs, only to fall in the first round, ironically against Paul Houston’s former employer. Despite his heroism, there are still plenty of rumors coming out of the Thunder camp that Paul could be traded after just 12 months with the franchise.
If the Thunder try to trade Paul, there is no shortage of potential suitors.
Paul definitely has a lot of fuel left in his basketball tank to generate commercial interest from virtually every NBA team. The New York Knicks would be a major stakeholder if the Thunder tried to go in a different direction following the firing of manager Billy Donovan.
Paul is the biggest earner on the Thunder roster and plans to earn $ 41,358,814 next season. Trading it could give Oklahoma City the space it needs to rebuild for the future.
Several NBA sources have suggested that Thunder general manager Sam Presti is ready and willing to take on the Knicks for Paul. However, several clauses are likely to be attached. More noteworthy, the Thunder will be demanding a first-round pick from the Knicks, as well as one of their young prospects with a rookie contract.
The most likely rookie used as a weight to bring Chris Paul to the Knicks is Kevin Knox. The 20-year-old has had a disappointing season. Therefore, the Knicks may be ready to ditch it to bring some superstar glamor to their roster once again. Knox played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, making such rapid progress that he was one of the first to pick the entry draft in 2018 (9th overall by the Knicks).