The Chris Paul trade highlights the shortened NBA offseason as big moves become the normal.
The Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to send Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to the the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, and Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round draft pick this week.
This deal plays into the plans of both the Thunder and the Suns, and those plans are quite different. The Suns attempt to capitalize off their recent success in the short-term. The Thunder add more pieces to an already large pool of team capital.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns took the basketball world by surprise when they finished the season undefeated during NBA bubble play. The organization highlighted the achievement as a sign of what’s to come. This message was echoed top down by the marketing team to the coaching staff to the players.
Now was the time for the front office to signal its faith in the future with their activity over the shortened offseason. The Suns made that clear in this acquisition of Chris Paul, one of the top point guards in the league.
The Suns receive a player who will make an immediate impact on the team around him. Chris Paul ranked fifth in the NBA in real plus-minus at 5.51. This is proof that he’s a key factor on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Efficiency at this level is helpful when trying to cultivate talented young stars like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton.
However, what separates Paul from other players paired with Booker in the backcourt is not his ability to compliment other players but his ability to create offense by himself. Although Ricky Rubio is a quality point guard, he’s never averaged over 13.1 points per game in his career. Chris Paul exceeds that mark in every year of his career and lines up with Rubio in terms of passing prowess. All the while bringing more experience to an up-and-coming roster.
Chris Paul brings dynamics to this team that few others at his position can. The Suns went into this offseason searching for a player who would elevate them as a threat in the Western Conference. With this addition, Robert Sarver can tell the city of Phoenix he did just that.
Oklahoma City Thunder
This team, on the other hand, finds themselves in a situation on the opposite end of the spectrum. Coming off a surprising 2020 campaign in which the team went 44-28, the Oklahoma City Thunder enter a rebuild.
General manager Sam Presti seems to pull off blockbuster trade after blockbuster trade to ensure his team’s future is bright. In their dealings over the past few years, they have secured a maximum of 16 first round picks through 2026. This trade in particular added another first-round pick to the arsenal.
Even though the draft picks are the spotlight to every Thunder trade, the team received a nice haul of players as well. Kelly Oubre was a solid offensive contributor for the Suns last season posting 18.7 points per game. The same goes for Ricky Rubio, who averaged 13 points and 8.8 assists per game with the Suns. Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque are recently drafted players with value of their own.
These players are not only potential contributors for the Thunder but also capital. Capital in the NBA is not just accrued through draft picks and cap space but through what your team can provide. Players such as Oubre and Rubio in themselves can be shipped off for other players or more draft picks if needed. The Thunder have many roads in front of them. It will be interesting to see where they arrive.
