The trade value of Chris Paul in the market is still high, but trading for him will be a gamble for a team like the New York Knicks.
Based on recent science and advancement in the field of medicine, several professional athletes are able to extend their tenure. The list includes Chris Paul, who was still at the top of his game during the past season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Whether or not he’ll be able to replicate his performance is a toss coin.
If he does and he ends up in a strong team, he just might be able to contribute enough for a title push. If he doesn’t, he has still proven to be valuable in more ways than one, on and off the court.
He stands to earn up to US$40million this season. As such, other teams absorbing his contract might be difficult, but it may be worthwhile.
The New York Knicks need Chris Paul to change the culture
The Knicks have been a total disaster for the past decade or so. They’ve failed to regain their mojo since the Melo-Stoudamire tandem. Therefore, they are in need of someone to completely change their roster around. Chris Paul has proven that he can do it with the Clippers and the Thunder.
In order to make a Chris Paul trade happen, Sam Presti should sign off on what the Knicks has to offer. $40 million is a lot of cap space to clear up just to sign Paul. Fortunately, cap space is what the Knicks currently have.
However, to get Chris Paul, they will have to give up a handful of young players that Presti could be interested in. The list includes Bobby Portis, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntlikina, Elfrid Payton, and a first-round pick. Presti could demand someone more, but this is a good deal considering the potential of these young studs in the offer.
Moreover, the contracts of Portis and Payton are all in their final year. As such, he could easily ship them away or utilize them to fit in the team. After the next season, OKC’s cap space will then be wide open.
What needs to be done in MSG
Chris Paul is a vocal player on the court and inside the locker room. With the Knicks experiencing a series of unfortunate events in the past years, they seem to have forgotten how to win. This is the scenario that Chris Paul could save. He should be able to instill a winning mentality in the young players. Paul might even be able to do some front-office change as well if needed.
Doing this might be too easy because the Knicks have a strong head coach in Tom Thibodeau. If the Knicks can pry Paul away from the Thunder, then the complete turnaround in the Knicks’ organization is guaranteed.
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