The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly in play for a Chris Paul trade, although the specifics of this are unclear.
Advertisement
While Daryl Morey and CP3 got off on the wrong foot with the former trading Paul, they understand that it’s a business. Tilman Fertitta put Morey under immense pressure to get rid of what he believed was the worst contract in the NBA. Paul had reportedly been assured by Morey that he wouldn’t be traded.
The OKC Thunder are in assets heaven over the next few seasons. They received a whole bastion of draft picks from the Rockets and Clippers in exchange for Westbrook and Paul George. Landing a player like Tobias Harris might put them in play to develop their young team better.
Morey will have to keep in mind that Lakers too are in the mix for signing Chris Paul, as they wish to create a ‘big 3’ in LA. With Rondo slated to leave, CP3 would be the perfect point guard to help both LeBron James and Anthony Davis to flourish.
How legitimate are these rumors linking Chris Paul to the Sixers?
On paper, this is a great fit. The Sixers have not had an efficient shooting point guard since forever. Trading for Chris Paul allows them to shift Simmons off the ball and play in the power forward slot. Simmons can direct their fast breaks while CP3 takes over their halfcourt offense.
The question that remains is whether the Sixers have the assets to make this happen. They have a few draft picks that they can trade, but the Thunder have 15 picks in the next 6 drafts – enough to build a whole roster. What they really need to do is package a player for their timeline.
There is this concern about LeBron using his personal relationship to woo CP3 to LA too, however, the Lakers will need to majorly disrupt their roster in order to make it happen.
The question eventually boils down to whether the Thunder are willing to bite the bullet and absorb one of the two bad contracts the Sixers have. Al Horford and Tobias Harris are both being grossly overpaid considering the current market value.
As things stand, a trade that lands Paul with Doc Rivers looks exceedingly unlikely. However, you can never rule out Daryl Morey pulling a rabbit out of the hat as he’s done so often in the past decade.
