The Milwaukee Bucks will have to reinforce their supporting cast around Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of next NBA season. One option that has been floated around recently was Chris Paul after his resurgence with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Considering Paul is set to earn $41.3 million next season, the Bucks would have to get creative with how they’d go about making a trade work.
According to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Bucks ownership views the idea of acquiring Paul from the Thunder as ‘highly unlikely.’
As for the reported prospect of the Bucks pursuing Oklahoma City point guard Chris Paul as a possible solution to the roster deficiencies, sources with knowledge of ownership’s thinking said it is highly unlikely. The cost of bringing him aboard — Paul is owed $41.3 million next season and has a player option worth $44.2 million in the 2021-22 campaign — and the potential difficulty of bringing Paul onto a roster already led by a strong personality in Antetokounmpo seems to limit the chances of the Bucks moving to pair the two All-Stars. All indications are that the Bucks would rather look elsewhere.
The thought of Paul on the Bucks is an intriguing one considering he’d address some key weaknesses they have. Between his high-level playmaking ability, shot creation, and defense, it’s tough to imagine him not bringing the best out of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of Milwaukee’s roster.
For a Bucks team that should be operating with the upcoming season being their only remaining window to retain Antetokounmpo, making short-term risks makes plenty of sense. Making a move for Paul would enable him to do what he does best for an elite team in the Eastern Conference.
If the Bucks do intend to look elsewhere when it comes to the idea of a Chris Paul trade, it will be interesting to see what they come up with. There doesn’t yet appear to be an extensive list of options to turn to based on the current landscape of the trade block.
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