What does the future hold for Chris Paul?

After being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, what’s next for Chris Paul and his NBA career

Chris Paul is one of the most polarising players in the NBA and he’s had a pretty eventful, unpredictable career. That didn’t change this summer when the 34-year-old point guard was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook.

So what led CP3 to this point?

How long will he remain on the Thunder (and is there a chance that’s actually a good thing)?

And if/when he eventually does get traded again, where would be the best landing spot for him?

I’ll try to answer all of that – and more – in today’s post! So let’s jump right in…

*I also dive deep into the Chris Paul situation in the most recent episode of the Around the Arc podcast which you can check out below!

Getting Up to Speed

So after flaming out of the 2019 NBA playoffs – and losing to the Warriors for the second year in a row – it was clear that changes were coming in Houston.

Then it came out that the team’s stars – James Harden and Chris Paul – were reportedly no longer speaking to one another and their relationship was reportedly irreparable. Although both have since come out and disputed these reports, it didn’t stop the CP3 trade rumors from swirling around the basketball world.

And these reports certainly did hold weight.

Because not long after all of this, Paul was dealt to the Thunder in a massive blockbuster deal that saw Russell Westbrook wind up in H-Town.

Since OKC had also traded their other star – Paul George – away to the Clippers, it seemed clear that Sam Presti was leading the team into a full-blown rebuild and right from the start, he made it clear that their intention was to move Chris as soon as possible.

But then further trade talks stalled.

Due in large part to Paul’s insanely large contract, there weren’t many teams interested in giving up assets to acquire the point god’s services, to begin with. So now with an immediate trade seeming less and less likely, it appears that Chris Paul is going to remain on the Thunder for the foreseeable future at least.

Staying with the Thunder For Now

So with CP3 on the team going forward, we don’t really know at this point if or how this will alter Presti’s plan for rebuilding this team.

Here’s what we do know…

Chris Paul can still play. If you don’t believe me, just look at how he played last year without Harden on the court…

He averaged 22.5 points and 12.5 assists per 36 minutes when James wasn’t in the game. Oh, and the Rockets actually had a better net rating with Paul on the court without Harden, compared to both stars sharing the floor together.

Even at 34 years of age, Paul is still a beast!

He may not be worth $40 million a season, but he can still be one of the better point guards in the league if he can stay healthy (which is a big if at this point).

And in OKC, he’ll be given more opportunities to prove that. Moving away from the stand-still iso-centric offense that revolved around James Harden in Houston, Paul will be able to play more of his style of basketball, at his preferred pace. He’ll have the ball in his hands a lot more and I expect to see plenty of Chris Paul-Steven Adams pick and rolls (that should be a lethal combo).

Playing in a more balanced offense with more ball movement and player movement should also help Paul elevate his efficiency (which dropped to a near career-low last year) and overall production. Assuming he can stay relatively healthy, a bounce-back statistical season should help his trade value, should the Thunder look to move him before the deadline.

While he does reside in Oklahoma City, Paul will also have the opportunity to mentor the Thunder’s newly acquired point guard of the future; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – a potential star and franchise cornerstone.

We don’t know how willing CP will be to do this but even just being able to watch the future hall-of-famer on a daily basis and going up against him in practice should do wonders for Alexander’s development. This could be like what we saw during Paul’s tenure with the Clippers when Eric Bledsoe got the chance to learn from him and he went on to become a borderline all-star. The only difference is Shai has the potential to be quite a lot better than Bledsoe.

Potential Chris Paul Trade Destinations

In any case, it is still the Thunder’s plan to move Paul once the right deal presents itself. Obviously, things can change very quickly in the NBA – and they could once the season has started – but for the moment, here are a few teams that could theoretically trade for Chris Paul…

Los Angeles Lakers

This would basically only work if the Thunder agreed to buy out Paul (if that’s what he wants) which doesn’t seem at all likely at this point. It would be cool to see him and LeBron James play together but aside from selling tickets and sentimental appeal, this deal doesn’t make much sense for anybody.

San Antonio Spurs

The reason I think this could work is mainly because of Gregg Popovich. The Spurs would have to include either DeMar DeRozan or LaMarcus Aldridge in the deal (I think DeMar would make more sense) which makes this move pretty unlikely.

But a Paul-Aldridge pick and roll would be nearly unguardable.

Plus I think Chris would be able to fully maximize his latter years in the league, by playing under Coach Pop in the Spurs system.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs seem set to climb up the standings in the western conference next year, with Luka Doncic likely coming back a better, more experienced player in year two, not to mention Kristaps Porzingis will be making his long-awaited return from his ACL tear.

They’re not expected to be in contention next season but adding a third piece (like Paul) could bring them closer to that point.

However, it’s not clear how well CP would mesh with Luka, who is going to have the ball in his hands a lot and will be the centerpiece of Dallas’ offense. I mean, they could make it work but the trade still might not be worth it since the timeline of the Mavericks’ young stars doesn’t really match up at all with Paul’s.

Detroit Pistons

I think this move would work on paper, as long as CP3 and current Pistons’ star, Blake Griffin, can get along. The pair spent six seasons together with the Clippers, where they were contenders year after year but they continuously came up short (be it due to injury or an inexplicable collapse against the Rockets). If the two can set aside any differences they may have, they could still be a formidable duo – if both can stay healthy.

If so, adding Chris Paul could push Detroit up the standings in the Eastern Conference and, if they could somehow add a bit more depth and shooting on the wing, they could potentially compete for a top-four seed.

The Pistons are currently in no-mans land. They’re an average team without a clear roadmap for the future. By adding Paul, they will at least go from an average team to a good one and although a CP3 trade will still leave their future in question, the present would at least be a bit more enjoyable.

Miami Heat

The Heat have been the most talked-about trade destination for Paul and it seems to make a lot of sense for both sides.

Miami already acquired Jimmy Butler this summer, and have made it clear they’d like to add another star to help the team compete in the east.

Paul could absolutely be that guy. The only question becomes who will Miami include in the deal. They are reportedly hesitant to include either Bam Adebayo or Justise Winslow which is likely why trade talks stalled.

But depending on how Paul plays to start the season, the Heat could regain interest again!

Which potential Chris Paul trade do you think makes the most sense? Let me know in the comments!