The Heat aren’t expected to complete a trade for Chris Paul anytime soon because of the different ways they and the Thunder view a potential deal, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Oklahoma City officials believe they’re giving up a valuable asset in the nine-time All-Star, while Miami sees the trade as a favor to the Thunder and thinks it should be compensated for taking on Paul’s hefty contract. The 34-year-old will make $38.5MM this season and $41.4MM next year, with a $44.2MM player option for 2021/22.
What Miami would like most is the return of its first-round picks for 2021 and 2023, which both belong to OKC. The Thunder have been reluctant to include them in prior trade talks.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday that the Heat still have some interest in acquiring Paul, who played the past two years in Houston. Charania added that Miami will wait to see how the early part of the season turns out before deciding whether to resume negotiations.
Although he remains a productive player, injuries and age have slowed Paul, who has been limited to 58 games in each of the past two years. He averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season, then posted a 17.0/6.4/5.5 line in the playoffs.
Honestly… Miamis roster is a bunch of average players. Them sending back in salary matching with Waiters, Olynyk, Johnson all a bunch of average dudes. Winslow, their prized possession is average too. It’s basically a team of depth, role players and Jimmy Butler. Trading for CP3 makes them better overall. Maybe the difference between a 4th seed and a 6th/7th seed.
jumping up a couple seeds probably isn’t worth $40m a year
There’s no way Paul has positive trade value with that contract.
He doesn’t, but if he improves your team and you need to improve your team then he has value.
Yeah, and neither do many of Miami’s players on their bloated contracts. As the first comment said, a team of role players. Overpaid role players. Rather have a declining Hall of Famer and three overpaid role players, especially when I’d still have a couple left after the deal.
That depends on whether CP3’s declining or simply broken down.
Swapping 3 pieces of overpaid junk for one piece of hugely expensive overpaid junk doesn’t really benefit either organization on any level of NBA grandeur. If I were Thunder I would jump the chance to get CP3 moneybags off the team because the other guys you can move, make trades, etc if needed. With CP3 you’re just stuck with an albatross of a contract nobody wants. Riley used to have some GM style savvy but that has disappeared completely. That team is a FO mess…..Taking CP3 would be doing Thunder a huge solid. What’s Riley thinking? I doubt it would elevate their playoff position that much to be worth that contract. Not like Toronto risking it on Kawhi. No ring coming with CP3 unless it’s from a State Farm toilet bowl….
Having Jimmy Butler for an average team in the East can be quite good tho. Other than the big 5 of Philly, Boston, Indy, Milwaukee and Toronto the last 3 play off spots are really open. The Nets look likely to secure 1 of those spots meaning the the heat will be competing with the Magic, Pistons and the Hawks.
If the heat can secure a second star then they make the playoffs, so they need a CP3 or someone to push them over that hump. Even if it’s a slight improvement like Ibaka for Olynyk and someone, it’ll make the difference between 10th place and 6th. Kelly back to his home land for Serge who can space the floor at the 4 and help protect the paint. Or Dion Waiters for Marcus Morris, Knicks have lots of players at the 3/4/5 positions but are thinner at SG, Morris would be a better starter at Miami
CP3 can cry all the way to the bank collecting his $124M from OKC.
I agree with OKC’s POV, CP3 is still a valuable asset, in his worst ever season he posts a 16/5/8 line, most NBA players wouldn’t do that in their best season. Miami ain’t doing no one a favor by taking CP3 but themselves.
Yes it doesn’t matter that much what his salary is if he’s acquired by trading away equal salary– and then makes them better. This is likely since his PER projects to around 18 and Dragic maybe 12 and is coming off injury. Paul’s salary only lasts one year longer longer than DWaiters, JJohnson and KOlynyk, who combined, match salaries. (Dragic has 1 yr left.)
However trading 3 of 4 of these does leave them a bit thin! Anyway, there’s no compelling reason for OKC to do this as well as lose a first much less two. And they already had Waiters.
Paul to Miami makes Zero sense. Best case trade for Paul is to the Mavs for Hardaway, Powell throwing in a 1st as a sweetner.
Best Thunder option for Miami is Waiters, JJ for Gallinari, Diallo, 2021 2nd.
Dragic and Winslow at PG can easily cover anything Paul brings to the table for a whole lots less money. Plus they play more than 60 games a year to boot.
Best OKC / Miami deal for Paul is Dragic, JJ, Leonard for Paul, 2021, 2023 1st back plus 2020, 2021 seconds.
That’s just not going to happen.
Paul is broke down with Bank.
They don’t care about players they dont want to give up a pick while trading CP3 either.
I remember right after the trade for Westbrook when people actually thought that OKC could turn around and trade Chris Paul for even more first round picks and what a total genius GM they had in Sam Presti. What a joke!!!
That is pretty hilarious when looking back at flipping Paul for more picks. Rockets didn’t give up 2 first round picks for the fun of it that’s for sure.
Guess Pat Riley wasn’t as desperate for Paul as OKC thought.
Mavs and Magic seem like the best bet. Maybe a 3 team with the Hawks for some of thier big bad expiring contracts could work.
Will still cost a 1st at minimum.