Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder saw their 2019-20 season come to an end in the first round of the playoffs — defeated by the Houston Rockets in a hard-fought Game 7.

So what's next for Paul and the Thunder? Should the team look to keep their All-Star point guard on the roster for the coming season, or will they be interested in moving on?

Oklahoma City acquired Paul as part of a trade with the Houston Rockets in July of 2019 — the same deal that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston. The former Wake Forest standout played well for the Thunder, especially in the postseason. Unfortunately, though, his efforts were not enough to keep his team alive.

Paul, who willed his team to victory in Game 6, took the loss in Game 7 hard. He had a triple-double, scoring 19 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. And though his team was defeated, the 35-year-old point guard became the oldest player to triple-double in a Game 7 in the playoffs (LeBron James at 31 and Jerry West at 30).

“It's tough,” Paul said following Wednesday's loss in Game 7, hanging his head and holding back emotions. “We fought hard all year. A lot of people doubted us, but we didn't doubt ourselves.”

A far as statistics go, Paul enjoyed an improved season with the Thunder. With the Rockets last season, he racked up 15.2 points on 41.9 percent shooting, 8.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. With Oklahoma City, the former No. 4 overall pick averaged 17.6 points on 48.9 percent shooting. Rebounds were up as well (4.6 to 5.0), though he did have fewer assists (8.2 to 6.7).

Beyond stats, Paul seemed to become a figure of leadership for some of the younger players on Oklahoma City's roster, including Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This should come as no surprise, as Paul has been viewed in this light for quite a while. With 15 years of experience, 10 All-Star nods and four All-NBA First Team selections, he's been around the proverbial block a time or two.

Some insight on how Paul views Schroder:

“We’re a totally different team without Dennis,” Paul said after Schroder returned from injury in August, via okcthunderwire.com.

Earlier this season, Schroder offered high praise for the way Paul changed the culture in Oklahoma City:

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“He changed the culture here as well — how we’re playing together as a team,” Schroder said of Paul, via oklahoman.com. “He’s talking to every one of us every time during games, practices. Even if we’re off the court he talks to us. Leading this group. Obviously he did a lot for us so he deserves it.”

Thunder head coach Billy Donovan noted Paul has been a large part of the team's chemistry:

“I think he’s made everybody feel a part,” Donovan told The Oklahoman in February. “I think the chemistry of how everybody gets along is really good. And I think he’s obviously been a large part of that.”

Paul is owed a fully-guaranteed $41.4 million next season, so there is a good chance that he'll be in an OKC jersey again in 2020-21. By our account, it would be the right call. He's a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and his teammates seem to respect his work ethic. Let's see which route the Thunder choose to take.