The word is out that the New York Knicks are on the hunt for a league superstar and looking to land one this summer by the name of Chris Paul. The 34-year-old is presently a part of the Oklahoma City Thunder where he is playing impressive basketball, which likely explains why the Knicks took notice.
Why not when CP3 pulled a surprise by making the recent All-Star game. Good things are happening in favor of Paul and it appears that New York will want Paul to take the lead and make things happen on the East side of the NBA competition.
Fadeaway World said Frank Isola of the New York Post got wind of intel that claimed the Knicks will make a run on Paul this summer. There are many arguments to dissuade the club from running after the former Houston Rocket star but the plan appears to be a go.
"Paul, 34, carries a huge contract but he's had a resurgent season in OKC and is proven leader," Isola was reported as saying.
Talking about the huge contract, which means acquiring the OKC star will be expensive and the exact damage would be $85 million for the next two years.
It would seem that trading for Paul doesn't make sense as the Knicks are known to be building up over the long-term with a focus on young talents. So it's a wonder now why the interest on Paul, who has only a few years left of highly competitive basketball.
A good clue be that the Knicks now have Leon Rose as president and as Paul's former agent, the executive is convinced having Paul around will boost New York to a new level of relevance. At best, he will be the man to look up to by a young NY crew.
CBS Sports said it is no secret that the Knicks are preparing for the availability of big NBA stars in the upcoming free agency market openings and that is why the team has been observing strict fiscal discipline. The likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James, for instance, will become available in 2021 but New York is more inclined to embrace reality.
It's far remote of a possibility to attract James or Antetokounmpo to the fold so instead of shooting for the moon, the Knicks are pursuing a name they can bring home and "Paul is probably the best player they can realistically get their hands on," added the report.
That being the case, it seemed odd that in bringing over the OKC point guard to New York, the Knicks were blindsided by the fact that the move will greatly diminish their chance of landing prized talents in the 2021 Free Agency, which by the way is not limited to Giannis and LeBron.
