NBA: 5 teams that will likely be active players in the trade market this season

Oklahoma City Thunder 

Another obvious one, so we won’t dwell here too long – Chris Paul ain’t staying. He might play the start of the season to demonstrate some value, but given that the offers have been reportedly been luke-warm, Presti may just wait it out and see what’s on the table come Christmas.

(Sidebar: how funny would it be if, because we live in this era of total chaos, one of the major superstar acquisitions from this summer demands a trade ONE MONTH INTO THE SEASON. Is anything too insane to be possible now? And what if this player is slated for one of the marque Christmas games, only to make it the saddest Christmas ever for whichever fanbase bought into it? Okay I’m not rooting for that to happen, we’ve crossed the line into tragedy… Sidebar over.)

Look, Chris Paul, as old as he may be, and as whopping as that number next to his name is, can still play. Any contender that can snag him immediately ups their win total – the problem is their odds of going the distance just don’t seem great, as CP is just never healthy in May. It’s a risky move, and figuring out who has the money to make it happen will be a huge motivator. I liked the sound of Philly earlier in the week, now it makes no sense.

Lakers can’t pay it, Milwaukee ehhh ehhh maybe, and other proverbial “one piece away” teams in Denver, Portland, and to an extent Utah all have strong backcourts. I suppose Miami is still the front-runner as a trade partner, but keep an ear out for developments.