The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded the veteran point guard to the Phoenix Suns.
Chris Paul will be playing for his fourth team in five seasons the next time he takes the court, Oklahoma City and Phoenix agreed to a deal that will send the veteran guard to the Suns. In addition to Paul, the Suns will also receive 27-year old forward Abdel Nader while Oklahoma City will receive four players and a 2022 first round draft pick. Those players include Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, and Jalen Lecque.
This deal is for two teams heading in different directions. The Phoenix Suns clearly believe they are in contention mode and acquiring Chris Paul only helps their cause. Paul can be the veteran presence that the Suns need in order to potentially make a run in the Western Conference. For the Thunder, they area team that is focused on the future. Oklahoma City just continues to add to their draft pick arsenal (17 first round picks in the next six drafts) and will look to utilize them to rebuild their team. The Thunder will be in a transition period as they are finally able to transition from their post-contention era. There is a lot of work to do for Sam Presti and the Thunder, but they are making sure they are getting as many chances as possible to make it work.
