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The Knicks undeniably have a massive hole at the point guard position, and Chris Paul is undeniably one of the greatest point guards of all time. Sadly, CP3 is also 35 years old and set to earn more than $40 million in each of the next two seasons. He might be the missing piece for some team, but the Knicks aren’t missing one piece — they’re missing most of the puzzle.
That might not matter to team president Leon Rose, however. Last season, when he was still working as Paul’s agent, Rose tried to convince then-president Steve Mills to trade for the veteran guard. Now that he’s in charge of the Knicks, Rose is preparing an offer to try to entice the Oklahoma City Thunder, who currently employ Paul, but who also want to shed salary.
According to multiple sources familiar with the Knicks thinking, New York is readying initial offers to potentially bring the Point God to the Mecca. Julius Randle and Kevin Knox are two names I’m hearing are involved in internal discussions. I’m also told that Paul’s preference will play into his eventual destination, and his connection with Leon Rose is a factor.
Let’s just say you actually could get Paul for nothing more than Julius Randle and Kevin Knox...of course, you do that deal in a heartbeat. But it’ll probably cost significantly more than that, especially if desperate playoff flame-outs like the Bucks or 76ers get involved.
What really interests me right now would be Paul’s preference. He has famously never made an NBA Finals, and his window of opportunity is closing fast. Rose knows Paul well, so if he trades for the Point God, it would presumably be a Paul preference. But why would he prefer New York over a contender like Milwaukee?
If the Knicks really are trying to get involved in the CP3 sweepstakes, I’d prefer their role to be that of a third-team facilitator, picking up young players and/or draft picks from a desperate contender. But these are the Knicks, and Chris Paul is a big name. You can’t really count them out.