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
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.