The Chris Paul sweepstakes have officially concluded. The 35 year old all-star point guard has officially been traded to the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix acquires Chris Paul and Abdel Nader. The OKC Thunder acquire Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Jalen Lecque, Ty Jerome and a 2022 first round pick. Chris Paul was one of the biggest names on the trade market. He is now now he is officially off the market.
We will be analyzing this trade to determine the biggest winners and losers of the trade. Which players and teams benefit best from this trade and which teams get the short end of the stick? Read on to find out!
Winner: Sam Presti
With the Chris Paul trade, Sam Presti and the Thunder acquire even more future draft picks and assets. The Thunder now own 17 first round picks from now until the year 2027. Presti has done a phenomenal job of getting future assets. The Thunder are now entering a rebuild with a plethora of future draft picks, as well as a young centerpiece in Shai Gilgeous Alexander.
Presti turned Serge Ibaka into Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, which turned into Paul George. Presti then managed to flip Paul George into Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 5 future first round picks from the Clippers.
Sam Presti also flipped Russell Westbrook into Kelly Oubre and 2 future first round picks. The Thunder may not be a playoff team for next season, but they are starting their rebuild off on the right foot.
Loser: Ricky Rubio
Last season Ricky Rubio was the Suns starting point guard. He made a great contribution to the Suns success last season. Rubio helped the development of Deandre Ayton and he proved to be a great fit next to Devin Booker in the backcourt. He ranked 3rd in the league for assists per game with 8.8 assists per game. He also shot a career high 36% from 3 point range. Rubio also proved to play a massive part in the Suns success by ranking top 40 in real plus minus.
Rubio looked to be a great fit in Phoenix after his first full season with the team. Unfortunately for Rubio, the Suns had different plans for their starting point guard position. Rubio was involved in the Chris Paul trade and he didn’t seem too happy about it. He went to Twitter to express his frustration by throwing shade to the Suns organization. Rubio seemed genuinely hurt that the Suns decided to replace him after only one season.
Ricky Rubio was the starting point guard on a team with playoff aspirations. Now he’s been dealt to a rebuilding team. It isn’t an ideal situation for Rubio, but now he can help take pressure off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as being a great mentor for the younger players on the team.
Winner: Deandre Ayton
The former first overall pick Deandre Ayton had a great sophomore season. Although he did miss significant time due to a suspension, he was still very impactful in the games he did play for Phoenix. Rubio significantly helped the development of Ayton last season by getting him involved in the offence. Rubio also did a good job at feeding Ayton in the post and in the pick and roll.
Now that Chris Paul is teammates with Deandre Ayton, he will only get better. Chris Paul is one of the best floor generals in NBA history. He is amazing at making players around him better. I have no doubt that he will do the same with Deandre Ayton. Chris Paul is a pick and roll maestro who will make Deandre Ayton a deadly pick and roll threat. Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul can potentially be one of the league’s top pick and roll duo’s next season.
We have also seen Chris Paul do a great job at elevating his bigs. In Los Angeles he was paired up with Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan. Those are two athletic big men who played significantly better next to Chris Paul. Ayton has the athleticism to catch lobs, as well as being strong enough to finish in the post. Deandre Ayton is only 22 years old and has lots of potential. Chris Paul will play a crucial part in elevating Deandre Ayton and helping him reach his full potential.
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks
It’s no secret that Giannis’s future in Milwaukee is in jeopardy. He is an upcoming free agent who hasn’t had the playoff success as expected. This offseason is crucial for the Milwaukee Bucks. They need to prove to Giannis that they can win and build a proper team around him. It’s championship or bust for the Bucks, and them losing out on the Chris Paul sweepstakes may have costed them Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the top teams in the Chris Paul sweepstakes. Chris Paul would have been a perfect fit for the Bucks. Milwaukee is desperately looking for a playmaker who can create from the perimeter. Chris Paul would have checked off both these boxes and would have raised the Bucks ceiling to championship contenders. Giannis also heavily expressed interest in the Bucks pairing him with Chris Paul.
Unfortunately, the Bucks were unable to acquire Chris Paul. This is crucial for the future of the Bucks organization, as well as the future of the entire league. Giannis is the reigning back to back MVP and has proved himself as one of the league’s best players. If the Bucks don’t find success in the 2020-2021 NBA season, Giannis will likely leave the Bucks and pursue a career in a bigger market.
Winner: Devin Booker
For the past couple of seasons, Bookers future in Phoenix has been questioned. He has voiced his concerns about the lack of team success, while also stating how desperately he wants to make the playoffs. The Suns made a blockbuster move in order to push for a playoff spot, while keeping Devin Booker content in Phoenix.
Devin Booker is an elite scorer and one of the best shooting guards in the league. Chris Paul is going to be a perfect fit next to Booker in the backcourt. Both players have high basketball I.Q’s and are both very competitive players. Chris Paul is also an elite defender who makes up for Booker’s lack of defensive ability. For his whole career Devin Booker has been the primary ball-handler, as well as the primary scorer on the team. Now with Chris Paul on the Suns, he should help take playmaking responsibilities off of Devin Booker.
Devin Booker can now solely focus on what he knows best. Scoring the basketball. Booker is also an elite off ball player, but we haven’t seen him too much off the ball due to the lack of talent around him. Now with the acquisition of Chris Paul, it will add another element to Bookers game. Booker will now be an elite isolation scorer, as well as an elite off-ball player. With Chris Paul now on the Suns, they should find success. If they find success then Devin Booker will be content in Phoenix for the time being.
Loser: Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers were another team with championship aspirations who were interested in Chris Paul. The Clippers obviously need a playmaker on the team to help orchestrate the offence. We seen this glaring weakness during the 2020 NBA playoffs, when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets.
It made perfect sense for the Clippers to be pursuing Chris Paul. He is one of the best playmakers and floor generals in the league who would heavily elevate the Clippers offence. The Clippers are also already familiar with Chris Paul. He played for the Clippers from 2011-2017. Chris Paul returning to the Clippers would have been beneficial for both sides, as it would be another chance for Chris Paul to chase his first championship.
Unfortunately for the Clippers, they missed out on their potential reunion with Chris Paul. He would have made them immediate title contenders. Now the Clippers have to go back to the drawing board and find another player on the trade market who can raise their championship odds. It’ll be difficult to find a player who will fit in as well as Chris Paul would have. If the Clippers can’t find that playmaker they need, it may result in another season in the Clippers championship drought.
SportSource 