Thunder Trading Chris Paul To Spurs For DeMar DeRozan?
Are the Thunder trading Chris Paul to the Spurs for DeMar DeRozan?
The move would certainly make sense for both franchises.
Coming into the season the expectation was that Oklahoma would end up trading Paul sooner rather than later.
Paul was originally acquired in a trade for Russell Westbrook, and Sam Presti made it clear that he viewed the veteran as a means of acquiring youth and cap flexibility down the road.
Most assumed that Paul would get traded to a team in need of a veteran point guard like the Miami Heat or Los Angeles Lakers, but hot starts by both teams killed those dreams.
Now, the question becomes: who will step up in place of those two teams?
San Antonio would make a lot of sense. After starting the season off 9-14 through the first 23 games, it is clear the Spurs need to make a change. The LaMarcus Aldridge-DeRozan duo is not very dynamic, and one of them needs to go.
As noted by the Bleacher Report, one potential option is for a deal to take place between the Spurs and Thunder.
In this proposed deal, San Antonio would get Paul.
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, would walk away with Marco Belinelli and DeRozan.
This would be a win for the Thunder because it would cut $5 million per year in salary without taking back any long-term deals.
It would be also be a win — albeit less so than for OKC — for the Spurs, whose 13th ranked half court efficiency offense would see a serious boost.
At the end of the day this deal would boil down to how much San Antonio wants to keep its 22-year postseason streak alive.
If it does, then the Spurs should pull the trigger. If they’re over it and ready to start anew – then they should hold off.
Related: Browns Will Trade Odell Beckham To San Francisco 49ers
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
