OKC Thunder Rumors: Chris Paul could join the Dallas Mavericks, Nerlens Noel to the Lakers and more

After failing to win a playoff series since the departure of Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder made the difficult decision to enter a rebuild. During a summer of change, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Jerami Grant have all departed the franchise, while several other big names continue to be linked with a trade.

With more than a month to go until the start of the 19/20 season, the OKC roster could still undergo further substantial changes and here is all the latest Thunder rumors you need to know:

#1 Dallas Mavericks among teams that could trade for Chris Paul

The Thunder are believed to be keen to offload Chris Paul's enormous deal

Oklahoma City acquired Chris Paul as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston and many league executives believe Sam Presti is already keen to offload his new veteran guard. Paul is still among the NBA's best point guards, but turned 34 earlier this year and is set to earn almost $125m over the next three seasons.

Paul's presence on the roster could slow down the Thunder's rebuild and a few teams around the NBA are keen to take on the fading star. However, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report believes the Dallas Mavericks could explore a trade:

Dallas could be willing to roll the dice on Paul. The Mavericks have a need at point guard and made Kemba Walker their top free-agent priority. If the Mavericks start out the season in playoff contention, Paul is the type of high-upside player Mark Cuban may be willing to take a chance on.

Swartz suggests the Thunder would have to give up CP3 and at least one draft pick while taking on the contracts of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee. Any deal is unlikely to be completed before the start of the season, although they are hopeful they can eventually offload the remaining three years on Paul's deal.

#2 Justin Patton's deal put the Thunder back in the luxury tax

Justin Patton was selected 16th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft

Earlier this week, the Thunder announced the surprise signing of Justin Patton. The 22-year-old was drafted 16th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 2017 but played just once for the team during an injury-disrupted season. Patton went on to link up with the Philadelphia 76ers for the 18-19 season but made just four appearances, spending much of the year in the G-League.

It's fair to say Patton has yet to make much of an impact in the league, although ESPN's Royce Young is reporting the Thunder were willing to go back into the luxury tax to sign the youngster.

On the Thunder signing Justin Patton today, it's a three-year deal worth $5.3m, according to league sources. This year has $700k guaranteed, year two is non-guaranteed and year three has a team option. He brings the roster to 14 and actually puts OKC back over the tax by $921k.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) August 13, 2019

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Patton will compete for minutes at center with the experienced duo of Steven Adams and Nerlens Noel, though it's difficult to envision the Georgia native ending the season in Oklahoma City.

#3 Nerlens Noel could emerge as a target for the Los Angeles Lakers

Nerlens Noel impressed from the bench during his first season in Oklahoma City

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a major blow earlier this week as the team lost DeMarcus Cousins for presumably the entire 19/20 season, with him having torn his ACL. The former All-Star's latest injury has left the Lakers with a lack of depth at the five and NBC Sports believes they could look to complete a trade for Nerlens Noel:

They will need to add someone at center, but at this point it's a case of holding their nose and taking whatever they see as the best fit... The Lakers could look to the trade market, guys such as Nerlens Noel could eventually become available.

Noel is currently signed to a one-year deal with the Thunder and again the 25-year-old is expected to feature in a backup role to Steven Adams this coming campaign.