3. OKC gets off Chris Paul
This hypothetical trade puts Denver all the way in. They get to pair Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic with a veteran that would help them down the stretch of games, can play on or off the ball, plays defense and is a savvy veteran that is desperate for a championship.
This trade just makes way too much sense for Denver. A big three consisting of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Chris Paul would be dangerous and in my opinion, would put them in a great position to win the championship this year.
The only downside for Denver is taking on that hefty Chris Paul contract and giving up a decent young place in Gary Harris. But in defense of that, the Chris Paul contract only goes on for two more years after this one and he could still be a solid veteran at age 36. And Gary Harris has only gotten worse since the 2017-18 season.
Denver’s eight-man rotation if this trade happened would be: Chris Paul, Jamal Murray, Will Barton, Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic in the starting line up with Monte Morris, Malik Beasley and Jerami Grant off the bench. This would an incredibly deep team, primed to make a deep playoff run.
From Oklahoma City’s perspective, this trade is a no-brainer. First of all, they get off of the Chris Paul contract. Not only do they get off the contract, but they also do so without taking on any long-term money as Plumlee’s contract expires this summer.
Secondly, they get a young defense-first shooting-guard in Gary Harris to pair alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This could be an elite level backcourt in the next couple of years. Gary Harris has been overshadowed by Denver’s deep guard rotation over the last couple of years. If given the opportunity, I still think he could be an all-defensive team type guard that could average close to 20 points per game.