The Phoenix Suns have made a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for All-Star guard Chris Paul. Forward Abdel Nader will also be head to Phoenix.
Oklahoma City will be receiving Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and a first round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
With Phoenix emerging as a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, All-Star Devin Booker had been pushing the organization to go after Paul and get a deal done.
Paul had another solid season this past year averaging 17.6 points per game with 6.7 assists per game. Not only will Paul be a valuable point guard for the Suns, but he’ll bring elite leadership to the franchise to help their young star Devin Booker mature and develop.
With the Thunder acquiring a 2022 first round pick in this trade, this means they will now have 17 first round picks between now and 2026.
While Oklahoma City is not a popular destination in the NBA to attract free agents, the plan is to draft and develop young talent to rebuild the franchise.
Paul wasn’t the only player the Thunder dealt over the course of the last couple of days. In a less heralded move, the Thunder sent guard Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers for the 28th overall pick of the first round in Wednesday’s NBA Draft. Three-point specialist Danny Green will also be headed to Oklahoma City in part of the deal as well.
The trade happened with the thinking that Los Angeles will be losing Rajon Rondo in free agency along with Avery Bradley. Schroder will add plenty of experience and depth at the guard position.
Schroder finished last season coming in 2nd place for the Sixth Man of the Year Award. The 27-year old finished the season averaging 18.9 points per game along with a career high 38.5 percent from three point range.
While Schroder is in the final year of his contract, the hope is that he can get a long-term deal done with the defending champions. Schroder is scheduled to make $15.5 million this season.
With the Thunder in a full rebuild mode, they’ve definitely started things off on the right foot.
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