We’re about a quarter of the way into the NBA season, so naturally, the league is being dominated by trade talk. The most notable names to recently hit the market are Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and Chris Paul of the Clippers.
Giannis is an MVP candidate in his prime who has grown frustrated as the Bucks have chased one all-in move after another, ending up with no assets and a subpar roster around the Greek Freak. It seems like Giannis really wanted to see things through and give the Bucks a chance, but it has become clear that the team is nowhere close to competing.
CP3’s situation is quite different, with the future Hall of Famer announcing his retirement and looking for a swan song on a contender in a limited bench role. Unfortunately, the Clippers aren’t close to contending either, and they’ve grown tired of Paul’s personality in the locker room, choosing to send him home while they work on a move.
Giannis to Denver nearly impossible
The Bucks are likely going to sell Giannis to the highest bidder, focusing on a package built for the future with picks and young prospects. Frankly, the Nuggets have neither at the moment, and there’s no real path to bringing in the Greek Freak.
While it would be tantalizing to think about Giannis and Jokic running hte league for the next few years, there’s just not a realistic package that makes any sense for the Bucks. For this to have any legs at all, Giannis would basically have to insist that he wants to play for Denver.
Even then, the Nuggets would have nothing but big-salaried veterans to match, and that would make very little sense for either side. It’s a fun hypothetical, but little more. Giannis is going somewhere else - hopefully somewhere in the East.
CP3 to Nuggets makes some sense
But Paul, on the other hand, makes some actual sense. For one, the Nuggets are in need of a veteran backup point guard. CP3, with a chip on his shoulder and a hunger to finally win a title in his final season, is a very intriguing addition for the end of the bench.
Furthermore, his trade value is virtually non-existent. He was signed to a minimum deal, and at this point, the Clippers just want to get rid of him. Denver can easily find a way to absorb Chris’ minimum salary for the rest of the season if they choose to do so.
They won’t have to attach any kind of asset either, as they’d be doing the Clippers a favor and saving them from inevitably waiving Paul or being forced to carry him on the roster all season. Either way, Paul should be very available, and if the Nuggets want to take on the baggage, they should be able to add him pretty easily.