Shortly after the Bucks were eliminated from the postseason on Tuesday night, Marc Stein of The New York Times tweeted that a number of rival teams believe Milwaukee will explore a trade for Thunder point guard Chris Paul this offseason.
In his latest column, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer digs deeper into that idea, arguing that the Bucks need an upgrade at the point and making the case that Paul would be an ideal fit alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
While the Bucks likely wouldn’t face a ton of competition if they pursue Paul due to his exorbitant cap hit ($41.4MM in 2020/21), O’Connor cites league sources who say the Sixers have “seriously debated” the idea of going after the veteran guard. The Knicks – whose front office is now being run by CP3’s former agent Leon Rose – are also a potential suitor, as O’Connor notes.
The Bucks could conceivable outbid either team for Paul, but they don’t have a ton of appealing assets, in O’Connor’s view — after this year’s No. 24 overall pick, the next first-rounder Milwaukee can trade is in 2024.
Here’s more from O’Connor:
- League sources view the Bucks as the “clear favorite” to retain Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021, but the Heat, Raptors, Warriors, and Mavericks are among the teams hoping to make a run at him, according to O’Connor.
- Interestingly, O’Connor also reports that multiple league sources have said recently that the Clippers intend to pursue a deal for Antetokounmpo. It’s hard to imagine such a deal coming to fruition, but Giannis has an “admiration” for Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, O’Connor writes.
- Goran Dragic is one player the Bucks could try to sign in free agency as they seek a point guard upgrade, but league sources expect Dragic to remain with the Heat, per O’Connor.
- League sources expect a somewhat quiet trade market this offseason, says O’Connor.
It all depends on what the thunder expect to get from CP3. I think it will be hard for the Sixers to match up salaries. If OKC wants Harris, which I highly doubt, then it would be an easy swap. If not, then it’s horford plus Richardson or horford plus at least two other players. I’m not sure anyone wants that…including the Sixers
Chris Paul for Eric Bledsoe, Brook Lopez & Robin Lopez works financially. If the Bucks sent the 24 with that group along with a future 2nd, I think it would work.
It would be a bit of a rebuild for the Thunder, but a competitive rebuild. Although with getting rid of Donovan, I don’t know if they are really interested in a competitive rebuild and would rather focus on a complete teardown. I think the Thunder still has a good team and could rebuild on the fly. I think it would do major damage to SGA’s future to not try to win now. But even if they want a tear down it would be far easier to move and pick up future assets with Bledsoe and Brook Lopez than Paul.
The Bucks would then have to find a cheap big man or two, but that shouldn’t be difficult on the FA market. Perhaps Biyombo from Charlotte on a mid level deal.
Thunder are mostly young….there’s no “complete tear down” happening. There are building blocks in SGA, DS and Dort. Baizley/Nader/Diallo also played well down the stretch as well. Paul, Gallo and adams are all likely to leave but the thunder should be able to get something for the first 2. Adams comes off the books after next season and if he’s will to resign for much less than what he’s being he’s being paid now, I can see them bring him back.
Thunder should get that 2024 first from mil if they trade solely with Mil. If Giannis leaves after a couple seasons, the bucks will fold massively and that pick gets a lot more valuable.
I hope you are correct. I can’t stand complete tear downs like Philly where they just expect fans to support intentional mediocrity for several years in the hopes that it will get better later. The Knicks may be bad, but at least they are organically bad. They try to win, they are just not very good at it. I at least respect that.
Hollinger on The Athletic said Bledsoe, Robin Lopez, and Ersan Illyasova would work, but it might take Donte D as an enticer. That would be too much.
Getting Troy Brown as the new Brogdan would be a nice fit with Bledsoe. That would take Donte D. and may help both teams.
Or drop Ersan and sign Dario Saric. They can’t really use their MLE and stay under the taxline without opting out of Ersan, and if so, need a good replacement. Giannis may not want to go ironman next season.
It seems that Knicks have 2 World Wides
World Wide Wes
World Wide Rose
Everyone in the World is their friends
Trade idea
Knicks get Paul
Thunder get Randle Knox and Mavs 2021 pick
CP3 isn’t a net asset (even coming off a more typical year for him) in this environment. Certainly, the Bucks and Sixers (each tax averse) are unlikely to do a deal for him without jettisoning bad contracts of their own. Knicks have a lot of bad players, but no bad contracts on that level. I don’t have a feel for Rose, but, unless he channels his inner Steve Mills, he’ll insist on getting assets to take CP3. Whether the Thunder prefer that, to taking bad contracts, might well depend on where the cap and tax numbers come in.
Why would the Thunder trade CP# if they’re getting the same salary burden back in return?
CP# makes almost 90 mil over 2 years.
I think they would much rather take take 18 mil and a year of Randle than 80 or more for another teams cast offs. Wouldn’t anyone prefer to trade a few future protected picks to save 50 million dollars?
If you put a value on picks and then look at OKC’s financial options the Bucks and Sixers don’t help at all.
Maybe Paul for Conley to get a one year savings?
Well, the only way the thunder are trading CP3 to the Sixers or Bucks, or any contender for that matter, is by taking back salary. Teams that are over the cap can only acquire 125% of outgoing salary, roughly 33 million ihas to be sent out to acquire CP3
Teams over cap have to match incoming salary within %. If over tax it’s almost same salary. If a team is under cap. They can absorb salary till under tax. And give up less salary. Like Knicks could absorb 41 mill. Send out less money and picks.
Which we will never do. Sillimam you are still hung up on this. Try to make sense lol.
Knicks are rebuilding we don’t need or want Chris. Bucks now and Sixers could use him. Bucks have salary and pick do do it. If they move Middleton. Sixers would need a third team. Knicks would take Harris , we have picks and expiring contracts. Bucks would be wise to bring in CP3. He can win at least 1 Title with Giannis. Bucks makes most sense. I’d like to see that.
Chris makes 41 mill. Bucks would have to send out at least 34 mill and a #1 pick.
Same with Sixers. A #1 pick lower one is worth around 3-4 mill. Use a third team with higher picks. For instance Knicks could give up Randle and Portis (34 mill) two expiring contracts 1 yr. Plus 2 #1 picks for Harris or Middleton. Rather Harris , #27 this yr. Plus future pick Knicks or Dallas.
Or I would do straight Sixers trade for Harris.
Randle, Knox, DSJ plus the two picks.
Knicks could be a third team. But we don’t want anything to do with CP3. Wish him well. Giannis needs him.
link to cbabreakdown.com
“Why would they trade him if they are getting the same salary burden back?” was a reason they wont be trading him to the Bucks and Sixers and why they would prefer to trade him for Randle with the picks going to NY.
You really think they want an 11th first round pick from the Bucks enough that they’d take back even 10 mil more in debt than they would with another team?
Paul is a good player who has helped their rebuild. They aren’t trading him to get better or to get picks. They are trading him because they can’t afford him. The Knicks can. They aren’t going to lose good young players fitting him in.
As for the we don’t need him we’re rebuilding?
Rebuilding means bringing in good players and CP3 is a good player. He’s also a PG so that the team can finally stop developing point guards and let the rest of the team develop. He’s also someone a good player might want to play with.
I’ll take CP3 before I take Harris.
I don’t think OKC will be looking to trade CP3 for immediate salary relief (it would be to rid themselves of the 44 mm for 2022). Unless, of course, the tax line comes in much lower than expected. Currently, they’re not close to the tax line, and not likely to be in the skinny FA market this off season either way, so why worry about CP’s salary next year? The following year, Adams comes off, and without CP3’s big number, they’ll have significant cap space. A team that sells 44 mm of valuable 2021-22 cap space this off season is entitled to compensation beyond the 36+ year old CP3’s services (valuable as they may be, if he’s still healthy). Jettisoning Randle – as happy as it would make me – isn’t enough as he’s owed only 4 mm that year. It doesn’t matter that the Knicks “might” not have another use for the space. It has a market value and I expect them to realize it or something close. Mills is gone and with him (hopefully) his habit of hard negotiating (against himself).
I don’t get the points.
Are you saying they don’t want to trade Paul this year because they don’t need his cap space?
OKC is running a business and Paul on the roster doesn’t help their business plan. Because of that they would like to save as much of the 85 million he is owed as possible. The fact that he is a good player doesn’t change any of that or make them want to wait one year and pay an extra 40 mil for 70 games from one player during a rebuild. Maybe being a Knicks fans has made you forget why business decisions are made.
BTW – Of course OKC includes 2 picks with Paul to get Randle this year. My post was pointing out that Milwaukee and Philly are not trade options.
It always matters if a team has a use for the money. It isn’t a reason to give it away but no one was saying that.
Not really. The NBA business is different than most, at least as it relates to the payroll. Teams don’t care much about payroll, UNLESS it gets in the way of usable cap space or might result in tax. When they give up picks to shed salary it’s for one purpose or the other. Not – what you suggest – just to avoid paying a guy to pocket the cash. There are reasons for this, namely the band of permissible non-tax payroll is small 30% of the cap (approx). Other factors also reduce the value of staying at the lower end of that band. Practically, non-tax teams are within 10% of each other.
You asked why OKC would do a matching deal vs one utilizing cap space. The answer is because their priority would be shedding CP3’s 2021-22 salary. That can be done as easily with a matching deal (since that concept is based on 2020-21 salaries) as one utilizing cap space. All things being equal, of course they might want to shed both years. But that would cost more (in picks). Cap space is a commodity and a costly one. In business, you don’t buy more of a commodity than you can effectively use. That’s what a team shedding salary is doing. They are buying cap space. The price for 85 mm is much higher than 44 mm. That’s the best I can do.
My favorite trade would be
After Bucks acquire Chris Paul
What is the trade idea for Clippers to get Giannis?
Bucks are not taking 2 for 1 deal
Why would the bucks acquire cp3 and then trade giannis?
CP3 is going to end up in Miami next season if Giannis doesn’t want to go to Miami.
Could see Kelly O, Dragic and a pick for CP3
Of course, Philly wants Paul. AHAAHHAHA. Oh, my sides.
He would be better than Harris or Horford and has a shorter deal.
“League sources expect a somewhat quiet trade market this offseason, says O’Connor.” This is Sullivan’s worst nightmare.
I really like 3 trades per day each day
No one will be bored
I’d absolutely take Horford and 2 Firsts for Paul
Add salary filler
Sixers don’t fix that roster. They are the next to get broken up. Bucks coach was schooled by Spoelstra. It was embarrassing. Celtics will go after a big next yr. Then they will probably take over the East with Heat.
Sixers should try and get Westbrook. Rockets love wings. Harris is better than anyone they got. To me this helps both teams. Sixers give 2 second rd picks, high ones. Rockets gave no picks this. Azubuike Center from Kansas will be there. Next good Nigerian Center. Plus they can also get a rea 4. Like Stewart or J Smith. They can bring in two young bigs, plus Harris win win. Sixers start Westbrook at PG. I do it
Chris Paul is so overrated and would be an awful fit on the Bucks.
Overpaid, yes. Overrated, notsomuch.
Paul is one of the 5 best PGs in NBA history. He is not at his peak anymore, but he would make ANY team better. He led an OKC team that, on paper, should have been one of the worst teams in the league, nearly into the second round of the playoffs. I think he makes any lottery team a playoff team and makes any playoff team a title contender.
You are correct. Overpaid, can’t stay healthy and is old in basketball years. He is not a savior of a franchise and he couldn’t lead a team to a championship despite being on teams that were title contenders. He is a good player but he is not going to turn a franchise around and his salary cap hit is so high, even if traded to Bucks they wouldn’t be able to add a much depth around them to be a champion.
I don’t think OKC will be looking to trade CP3 for immediate salary relief (it would be to rid themselves of the 44 mm for 2022). Unless, of course, the tax line comes in much lower than expected. Currently, they’re not close to the tax line, and not likely to be in the skinny FA market this off season either way, so why worry about CP’s salary next year? The following year, Adams comes off, and without CP3’s big number, they’ll have significant cap space. A team that sells 44 mm of valuable 2021-22 cap space this off season is entitled to compensation beyond the 36+ year old CP3’s services (valuable as they may be, if he’s still healthy). Jettisoning Randle – as happy as it would make me – isn’t enough as he’s owed only 4 mm that year. It doesn’t matter that the Knicks “might” not have another use for the space. It has a market value and I expect them to realize it or something close. Mills is gone and with him (hopefully) his habit of hard negotiating (against himself).