Knicks Reportedly Interested in Chris Paul
Death, taxes, and the Knicks being linked to All-Stars that don't play for them.
The start of the Leon Rose era seems to be no different from seasons past in that New York has notoriously chased (and failed to acquire) numerous star players throughout the years. Next up seems to be 10x NBA All-Star Chris Paul, as first reported by Frank Isola.
The 15-year veteran spent six seasons in New Orleans, six with the Clippers, and two in Houston before being traded to Oklahoma City in the blockbuster deal last summer involving fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook. Paul was an All-Star for nine straight seasons from 2008 to 2016, but was not selected for the game in any of the three seasons following that run. However, a recent resurgence in his career trajectory has him averaging 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game this season while leading the Thunder to the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
After this season, Paul has two years remaining on his current contract, over which he will make over $85 million. This serves as a reasonable cause of concern for any team looking to deal for him; there is certainly no guarantee that the almost 35-year-old guard can keep up this level of production. After all, the effects of time are things that can be added to that list of inevitables (unless your name is LeBron James).
An argument for making a deal for Paul would be that young Knick players such as RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson could greatly benefit from having a true floor general on the court alongside them; someone who is able to be the maestro of the offense by spacing the floor and creating good looks for his teammates. However, Paul's age and large contract are undeniable, and giving up future assets to acquire a player at this stage of his career, despite his talent, would be questionable to say the least.
Isola also notes that Chris Paul used to employ new Knicks President Leon Rose as his agent; seeing as how the Knicks seem to have hired Rose at least in part due to his numerous star connections, this particular connection might be one for Knicks fans to keep in mind.
The direction Rose wants this team to go in remains to be seen, but we can only assume we'll get a better sense of it this summer. Perhaps the news that the team has dealt for Paul will be what gives fans an idea of what Rose wants to get done.
