Philadelphia 76ers: Thunder's Chis Paul Addresses Trade Rumors

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul might be out of his prime at this point in his career, but that doesn't mean he's finished. At 35-years-old, Paul is still a primary target in the trade market for many teams across the league. 

The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly one of the organizations that seriously inquired about Paul's availability this past season. As Philly hasn't employed a true starting point guard in years, the Sixers considered making a deal for Paul.

Unfortunately, the talks didn't go very far. Perhaps, the Sixers and the Thunder get a bit more serious this offseason as Paul, and OKC's front office are headed in different directions. While Paul doesn't view the Thunder as a team heading towards a rebuild, OKC isn't fooling itself.

“I’m 35, and I just finished my 15th year. Any team that I’m on, I think that we’re competing for a championship," Paul told Sports Illustrated last week. That’s the way we felt this year with OKC. We had a very, very special team, and that’s why I think I was hurt and just so mad when we lost."

While the Thunder did exceed expectations in 2019-2020, they know they have a lot of work to do before they can compete for the NBA Finals. Moving forward, building towards the future is going to be the plan for OKC. 

Considering Paul still has trade value this offseason, he's likely going to find himself elsewhere for next year. While Paul's not forcing his way out of Oklahoma, the veteran guard doesn't seem opposed to moving on, either. 

“I have no clue [about the future]," Paul told Robin Lundberg of SI. “I enjoyed this past season, and we’ll see what happens.” According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, the Thunder have a price tag for Paul set, and it would cost a first-round pick and a young prospect on his rookie deal to acquire the veteran guard. 

While the Sixers could certainly afford Paul -- they will have to think long and hard about whether it's worth giving up future assets for an older guard. While Philly is certainly playoff contenders heading into next year, trading for Paul should only be an option if the Sixers believe they have a shot at making it to the Finals. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_