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To sum up quickly: Phoenix keeps franchise player Devin Booker happy (and possibly committed long-term) as it looks to end an embarrassing decade-long playoff drought. The hope is Paul helps Booker get even better and brings centre DeAndre Ayton along and doesn’t get hurt. If so, it’s a good deal for both sides.
The Thunder went from being gifted a bunch of picks to take on Paul’s then-scary contract (for Westbrook), to getting a pick, a nice young piece in Oubre and a solid veteran in Rubio for an aging player.
This helps the Raptors quite a bit as Phoenix, considered a major Fred VanVleet suitor like they were the last time he was a free agent, are now likely out of the market for the talented guard.
Los Angeles Lakers acquire Dennis Schroeder from Oklahoma City Thunder for Danny Green, 2020 first-round pick.
Oklahoma City might have sold low here on Schroeder, perhaps the best reserve in the NBA at the moment and a perfect fit for the Lakers. But they probably move Green again for another late-first down the line. Schroeder will make the defending champions even scarier, but they’ll miss Green’s defence.
What could come next:
Resolution on Harden’s situation. Scorers this lethal, with resumes this thick, MVP-wise (Harden has won one MVP, finished second three times, third last season) don’t often become available. If Holiday and even Covington commanded all those draft picks, what would Harden fetch? Would Philadelphia offer the much-younger Ben Simmons? Would Brooklyn, having seen another big deal blow up so spectacularly (a million first-rounders and pick swaps for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce) years ago, offer up a bevy of picks, in addition to talents like Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie?
Would Harden even work with his old pals Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving after being the most utilized singular force in the history of the NBA while with the Rockets?
The league will be waiting on that one.
@WolstatSun
