NBA Trade Deadline: 5 in-demand players likely to stay with their current team
The 2020 trade deadline is just over a week away, and teams around the league are already beginning to make significant moves. Over the past ten days, Jeff Teague has swapped the Minnesota Timberwolves for the Atlanta Hawks, while Willie Cauley-Stein joined the contending Dallas Mavericks after spending just half a season with the struggling Golden State Warriors.
There are still plenty of teams around the league with ranging fortunes looking to buy or sell ahead of the deadline – and NBA fans can expect more moves in the week ahead. However, not every player that has been the subject of rumors will be traded, and here we will take a look at the five big names that are likely to stay with their current team past the 2020 trade deadline.
#5 Chris Paul - Oklahoma City Thunder
Chris Paul has been linked with an exit from the Oklahoma City Thunder ever since he was traded to the team as part of the deal that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston last summer. While Paul is still among the best point guards in the NBA, the Thunder are undergoing a potentially lengthy rebuild, and the Miami Heat have been frequently mentioned as a destination for the veteran point guard.
However, a deal is complicated by the fact that Paul is owed more than $85 million over the next two seasons, and he will also turn 35 in May. This makes a move difficult, and with the Thunder seemingly increasingly happy with his impact both on the court and in the locker room - it appears that the veteran will at least finish this season as a member of the Thunder.