Oklahoma City Thunder traded all-star Point Guard Chris Paul to Phoenix Suns on Monday, November 16th. OKC Thunder acquired Chris Paul from Rockets in exchange of Russell Westbrook last offseason in a multi player deal, Paul led Thunders to Playoffs and exceeded expectations by clinching 5th seed in tough western conference.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Thunder will receive Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and 2022 first-round pick from Suns for Chris Paul and Abdel Nader.
Paul, 35, is coming off of a season in which he averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds over 70 games with the Thunder. He joins an up-and-coming Suns team that features another All-Star in Devin Booker as well as 2018 No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton.
It’s a win-now move for Phoenix, who fell just shy of qualifying for the postseason after going 8-0 during seeding games at the NBA Restart. Paul can reach untapped potential in Booker and Ayton. Additionally, CP3 is reunited with Monty Williams, with whom he played under for a year in New Orleans.
“We are excited to welcome Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to Phoenix,” said General Manager James Jones. “Chris’ leadership and competitive approach to the game will have an immeasurable impact on our team. Abdel possesses all the traits on and off the court that will complement our culture.”
“We thank Kelly, Ricky, Ty and Jalen for their contributions to the Suns. We wish each of them all the best as they continue on what we expect to be long and productive careers.”
“He is the kind of guy that changes organizations,” said Head Coach Monty Williams, somewhat prophetically, prior to the Suns-Thunder game on Jan. 31. “Everywhere he has gone, he has made everybody better. That is just who Chris is.”
Paul, a 10-time NBA All-Star and the 2013 All-Star Game MVP, has played in 1,020 career regular season games with New Orleans, the LA Clippers, Houston and Oklahoma City, holding career averages of 18.5 points, 9.5 assists and 2.2 steals, shooting 47.1% from the field, 37.0% from three-point and 87.0% from the free throw line. He has led his team to the playoffs in 12 of his 15 NBA seasons, including each of the past 10 years. Paul ranks seventh in NBA history in both career assists (9,653) and in career steals (2,233) with both marks being the highest among all active players.
For the Thunder, it’s yet another move with the future in mind. Oubre will be a free agent following the 2020-21 season while Rubio is under contract through the 2021-22 season. Jerome and Lecque are entering their second seasons in the league while OKC now owns two first-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft.
