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The OKC Thunder were given a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs during the beginning of the season. Chris Paul and the crew defied all odds as they finished 5th in the Western Conference and almost managed to take out the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. Now that their dream run is over, there have been some NBA trade rumors surrounding key OKC Thunder players.
NBA Trade Rumors: Chris Paul believed to make the biggest headline this off-season
A year ago, most people sidelined Chris Paul to be an injury-prone player who's way past his prime. But the 'point god' proved every single critic wrong as he managed to beat some of the strongest teams in the NBA with a relatively inexperienced OKC Thunder team. The dream run that OKC had led by Chris Paul, reminded just about everyone, how good CP3 actually is.
Despite their success, OKC doesn't have a chance to contend for the championship. This means the management would be willing to get rid of Paul's expensive contract should a suitable trade package become available. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently said:
"The trade market is where the big movement in the offseason is going to be. And Chris Paul is one of the big things out there, for sure."
Given CP3s recent form, there are NBA trade rumors that suggest many teams have already expressed their desire to get veteran point gaurd on their team. With a good couple of years still left in him, the 10-time all-star would be an invaluable addition to teams like LA Lakers or the Milwaukee Bucks for their title aspirations.
OKC Thunder to start a rebuild after Chris Paul trade
OKC was believed to be heading into a rebuild-phase as soon as they traded Paul George and Russel Westbrook in 2019. But the unexpected success due to Chris Paul's exceptional leadership put the team in an uncharted territory.
If Chris Paul moves to a different team this offseason, they'll likely get back multiple young players along with the cap space to go into a full rebuild mode. There are also some rumors that the Thunder can trade Dennis Schroder as well as Steven Adams. If this indeed happens, OKC can start to build a young core around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a bunch of future draft picks that they have.
