The Oklahoma City Thunder decided to part ways with franchise icon Russell Westbrook last week, trading him to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and some draft picks.
Obviously, the draft choices are the primary part of the package for the Thunder, as Paul was merely included as a way of matching salaries.
The problem for Oklahoma City, however, is that it's not like Paul is an expiring contract. He has, at the bare minimum, two years remaining on his deal. Essentially, he has three years left, as he has a massive $44.2 million player option for the 2021-22 campaign that he will almost surely pick up.
Now, the Thunder can try to trade Paul, and rumors suggest the Miami Heat may have some interest in acquiring the aging star. But due to all of the financial gymnastics that would be involved in completing such a deal, it would be tough.
Not only that, but Paul's trade value is basically zero right now. As a matter of fact, a legitimate argument can be made that he actually has negative value due to the length of his contract and because he is a declining, injury-prone 34-year-old who has not played 70 games in a single season since the 2015-16 campaign. Throw in the fact that Paul doesn't exactly have the greatest track record as a teammate, and it makes matters even worse.
Let's face it: there is no way Paul is going to be thrilled about playing for Oklahoma City. It's not exactly the most glamorous market, and the team is far from contending for anything right now.
So, it would be in the best interest for both parties to part ways, but that is much easier said than done.
Again, trading Paul will be darn near impossible unless the Thunder throw in one of the many draft picks they have acquired over the last couple of weeks in various trades, and even then, it might be hard getting a team to bite.
And as for potentially buying him out? It's not exactly easy buying out a player who has over $120 million coming to him over the next three years, so unless Paul agrees to a massive paycut, that's not going to happen.
Basically, OKC may have to gear up for a run with Paul at point guard. While his veteran savvy may have a positive impact on what will be an incoming crop of young players, his leadership style has grated on teammates in the past.
This is clearly no one's favorite scenario. Paul would be better off with a team other than Oklahoma City, and the Thunder would certainly be better off without him, but it's going to be difficult to reach an agreement that appeases both sides.
From OKC's point of view, however, at the very least, Paul is on the books for one less year than Westbrook would have been, and the Thunder were able to land a couple of draft picks in the deal, to boot.
And for Chris Paul? Well, he just needs to hope a contender is willing to take on his contract, or he needs to pucker up and take a pretty big hit in a buyout. Either that, or he stays with a non-contending team for a while.
Follow Us
Subscribe