Chris Paul: OKC’s discarded plan and other takeaways from Athletic feature

From the Oklahoma City Thunder’s discarded time management plan for Chris Paul to his feelings around both his trade to OKC and his trade to the Phoenix Suns, a recent article by The Athletic was chock-full of information about the resurgence of the future Hall of Fame point guard.

Though the article was centered around how he got to Phoenix and helped to revive the Suns, there was plenty of information to learn about his time in Oklahoma City.

Here are a few key takeaways from the article, how the Thunder transitioned from the Russell Westbrook and Paul George era into the year of Paul and then to this new rendition of the team.

Chris Paul initially didn't want to be in OKC

This isn't particularly new information, as there's no reason to think a 35-year-old whose career was apparently winding down would want to join a team that just traded away its two stars in indication of a rebuild, but it's noteworthy because of the way this affects a future Paul trade. Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told Paul that he would not be traded to Oklahoma City, but it ended up being the landing spot. It sounds like this was in large part due to the desire of Russell Westbrook to end up in Houston with James Harden. As the relationship between Harden and Paul splintered, Westbrook seemed like a logical way to replace a star with a star. The Thunder, meanwhile, wanted to grant Westbrook's wishes of sending him to the Rockets. According to the article, Morey believed the Thunder would trade Paul to the Miami Heat, but that obviously never came to fruition.

Chris Paul clarified his intentions to his Thunder teammates

Despite not wanted to be traded to Oklahoma City, after Paul spoke with general manager Sam Presti, then-head coach Billy Donovan, he addressed his new teammates. "The first day I was there, the first time we had a meeting, I sat there and told everybody, ‘I want to be here. I’m not here trying to get moved,'" he said to The Athletic. That undoubtedly helped stabilize a locker room that had question marks after Westbrook and George departed. Paul bought into the team, and in return, they bought into him.

The Thunder's plan: 60 games

Oklahoma City's original plan was for Paul to play 60 games last season as the two parties rebuilt his trade value. These approaches to playing time were laughable to the point guard. The Thunder showed him how other great but aging point guards like Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups moved into their mid-30s. Simple game count and playing time minute comparisons were not completely apt with those players. Nash no longer got 34-36 minute averages like he did in his MVP days, but he was still a workhorse, playing in all but 12 games between the 2010-12 seasons, the last of which he was 37 years old. Kidd was still averaging almost 36 minutes per game at the age of 35, but that was lowest it had been since the 1990s, and his usage rate dropped to 13.5. Billups played about 70 games in both of the previous two seasons, but his trajectory wasn't the same as Nash, Kidd or Paul. Injury cost Billups the majority of his 35- 36- and 37-year-old seasons. Paul only played 58 games in both of his years in Houston, but he won the argument against the Thunder's 60-year plan. He played all but two games and had a similar usage rate to the prior year, albeit on a team with a far different play style. His plant-based diet and new training helped him age gracefully with the Thunder. This sparks some curiosity in an unrelated trade: How similar was Oklahoma City's discussion with center Al Horford at the beginning of this season? Horford, 34, has also regained trade value and should net a positive return this offseason.

Sixers thought they could trade for Paul

There were plenty of reports about this during the 2020 offseason, but the Philadelphia 76ers apparently "believed there was some traction," on a trade for Paul, Athletic reporter Sam Amick wrote. There was one major holdup: Paul did not want to play for them. By this point, Morey was in charge of the Sixers. From the way the article read, it sounded like Paul was not thrilled about the idea of a reunion following Morey going against his word the offseason prior about not trading him to OKC. Instead, negotiations with the Suns went quick, Amick wrote, and Paul's desire to play for Phoenix helped it go through. Oklahoma City was willing to trade him there "even if it meant they got a little less back in return," Amick wrote. That's also interesting because it implies the Sixers had an offer that would have looked better from the outside. Curious what their's may have been.

Paul's relationship with SGA

There was a somewhat throw-away line in the article that shouldn't stand out to fans who do not follow the Thunder: "Paul talks to Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander daily even now, but those kinds of player ties had not yet been established back then." Oklahoma City is in good hands with Gilgeous-Alexander. The young guard took a leap from his second to third season and handled the increased workload impressively. The relationship with someone as good of a leader and player as Paul will come in handy as Gilgeous-Alexander grows into himself as a man and player.

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