NBA trade szn is officially here and it's glorioius. While plenty of rumors are swirling around and a lot of potential moves on the horizon, we have our first official blockbuster move of the offseason with Chris Paul getting moved to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and draft picks. For the Thunder, the draft picks are the obvious longterm play, as they now move into a full rebuild in Oklahoma City. If you're keeping track at home, Thunder GM Sam Presti essentially turned Russell Westbrook and Paul George into eight first round picks, four first-round pick swaps, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Not bad at all.
This was a move that had been rumored since last week, but is still a big shakeup in the West, with the Suns clearly gunning for the playoffs after their impressive run in the bubble last season. They already have a solid young core behind Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, and will now add one of the best point guards in NBA history to the mix. As we'll do for all of the major trades that happen, we broke down all of the winners and losers from this deal and what it might mean for the league going forward.
Winner: Sam Presti
Where else to start? The amount of assets Sam Presti has built up in just two years is pretty insane. We mentioned all of the picks in the intro, but just take a look at this:
The Thunder will obviously need to hit on these picks because draft picks don't win basketball games, but the amount of ammo they have right now is insane. You'd have to imagine they might get even more picks if they end up flipping Rubio and Oubre in another deal. Presti is wheeling and dealing right now and putting the Thunder in prime position for years to come. We have to tip our hat to that man.
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks
Winner: Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton & Chris Paul
Loser: The Knicks
Winner: Kelly Oubre & Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Tunnel Pics
Loser: The Pacific Division
Is this the best division in basketball now? You'd be hard pressed to find a better collection of talent spread across a divison that includes LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, and now Chris Paul. That's insane. And you know who it really sucks for? The Sacramento Kings. They really just can't catch a break, especially if this season's schedule is heavily based on divison play because of the pandemic. That's just brutal. We're about to see some classics out West this season.
