Shams: Heat interested in Chris Paul

[Danny1616]

Would be a disastrous move.

Heat already overpaid for Butler who is a great player but isn't a legitimate 1st option on a contender and has had issues with teammates in the past.

If the Heat give away young assets for a 34 year old Paul who has history issues and a terrible contract, it would set them back for years.

I don't think a Heat team with Butler and Paul would make it past the 2nd round...it would be the 2014 Brooklyn Nets all over again.

[DreamTeam09]

Why are you guys advocating for a player to give up money on a contract that was signed ?? lol what's the point of ring chasing 1yr earlier.

Like are some of y'all really grasping what you're typing. Please give up 40million dollers 3yrs from now in order for you to facilitate a trade now to a slightly better market. That's crazy talk. Suppose he gets injured, because u kno, he has a case of bring injury prone.

[LightTheBeam]

Miami is capped out next summer. Jimmy is 30. I never understood waiting until hes 32 to try and build around that team.

They have plenty of expendable contracts in Dragic, Johnson, Olynyk, Waiters, Leonard. Might as well try to make a move and improve the team.

[eminence]

CP3 for any 3 of Dragic/Waiters/Leonard/Johnson gets it done, haggle over minor draft assets going either way, but the base of that deal probably helps both teams out a considerable amount. Not sure why it wasn't done immediately.

[The_Hater]

Butler and Paul would certainly make for a compelling duo, with a legitimate shot of making it out of the East, depending on who they give up to acquire him.

They both like to point guard, i don't see that as a good fit.

He and Harden both liked to point guard too. That wasn't the problem between the two from my understanding of things.

Dragic and James Johnson gets the Heat pretty close in salary.

Miami can't get pretty close in salary. They're hard capped this year, and it's pretty close right now. They'd want flexibility out of the deal as well.

As much as I think Miami should avoid CP’s contract without taking back draft picks too, Pat Riley seems to be flying by the seat of his pants trying to rebuild a contending the last few seasons. I could see him making this move.

I think you're underestimating Pat Riley. He tends to be pretty shrewd when making trades.

Riley’s free agent signings and cap management have been nothing short of awful since Lebron left. And he really hasn’t made that many trades other than Butler during the same period, which could end up being another really questionable contract at his age.

Also Miami can get very close in salary, they could even send more salary back to OKC if they needed too. It just depends which of these 2 franchises is willing to dip into the tax for 1 season in order to make the deal happen. Or both could avoid the tax if a 3rd team gets involved.

[Swish1906]

Do we need a thread for every rumour for a washed up roleplayer?

cough

[BBallFreak]

Riley’s free agent signings and cap management have been nothing short of awful since Lebron left. And he really hasn’t made that many trades other than Butler during the same period, which could end up being another really questionable contract at his age.

I obviously disagree with you, here, on certain aspects. He signed Richardson and Winslow to their current contracts and was proven correct on both counts. Both have outplayed their deals.

Also Miami can get very close in salary, they could even send more salary back to OKC if they needed too. It just depends which of these 2 franchises is willing to dip into the tax for 1 season in order to make the deal happen. Or both could avoid the tax if a 3rd team gets involved.

Miami can only get close if they're willing to give up Bam or Herro. They are not willing to do so. That was my point. We literally cannot go over the hard cap. That was my point.

[bisme37]

The Heat already have 3 guys (Dragic, Butler, and Winslow) who think they are the team's primary ball handler, so if they make a move to get CP they need to trade one or two of those guys.

[King4Day]

The Thunder really won't have any salary cap issues going forward. They have no urgency to move him so they shouldn't be attaching any picks in the deal.
I though I read in the summer that they wanted a 1st back in the deal but could be wrong.
Paul benefits the Thunder as far as putting fans in the seats and helping teach SGA. In 2 years, he's a large expiring. OKC holds all the leverage right now because they don't need to move him.

[NBAFan93]

Why are you guys advocating for a player to give up money on a contract that was signed ?? lol what's the point of ring chasing 1yr earlier.

Like are some of y'all really grasping what you're typing. Please give up 40million dollers 3yrs from now in order for you to facilitate a trade now to a slightly better market. That's crazy talk. Suppose he gets injured, because u kno, he has a case of bring injury prone.

Well, it’s a lot less crazy than all the posts you see saying someone should buy CP3 out for that amount of money times 3 years. Cause you did see those a lot when he got traded. That final year of his contract is what’s making it so no team in the league will trade for him. So he’s either gonna need to stay in OKC long term or give a little. He may literally only have one good year left - does he want to spend it on the Thunder or go somewhere where he can play w/ other star players?

[The_Hater]

Riley’s free agent signings and cap management have been nothing short of awful since Lebron left. And he really hasn’t made that many trades other than Butler during the same period, which could end up being another really questionable contract at his age.

I obviously disagree with you, here, on certain aspects. He signed Richardson and Winslow to their current contracts and was proven correct on both counts. Both have outplayed their deals

Also Miami can get very close in salary, they could even send more salary back to OKC if they needed too. It just depends which of these 2 franchises is willing to dip into the tax for 1 season in order to make the deal happen. Or both could avoid the tax if a 3rd team gets involved.

Miami can only get close if they're willing to give up Bam or Herro. They are not willing to do so. That was my point. We literally cannot go over the hard cap. That was my point.

Winslow's extension hasn't even kicked in yet so I'm not sure how he's outplayed that contract? It looks good right now but time will tell on that one.

Richardson definitely outplayed his deal, but I don't think I need to list all the Heat players who haven't outplayed their deals over the past 5 seasons. It's a long list and several of them are still on the roster.

And Miami does not need to trade Bam or Herro to make a CP trade work, Obviously they'll need to throw in more salary than my original post speculated but I already explained a couple of ways it could work without the Heat going over the hard cap.

[Magic_Johnny12]

PLEASE HAPPEN!

Yours truly,

Orlando Magic fan

[ProspectPark]

It's a good plan for them to be interestind in Paul. If they want to maximize a guy like Bam, he'd be the one of the best ones to make it happen.

Winslow and Dragic for CP3 may make some sense if Heat wants to hold on to pick(s).
CP3, Herro, Butler, Bam, Olynyk
Nunn, Dion, Jones, JJ, Leonard

Otherwise, it's Dragic, Waiters and pick(s) for CP3
CP3, Butler, Winslow, Bam, Olynyk
Nunn, Herro, Jones, JJ, Leonard

No one in the right mind is trading 23 year old Justice Winslow for CP3 and his horrible contract.

Winslow is still on a rookie contract making only $13 million per year for the next 3 years. This is one of the best contracts in the NBA.

[spikeslovechild]

If the heat want Chris Paul they will have to take on his entire contract and/or offer a bad contract plus picks. OKC has no reason to give up assets.

Miami has no reason to take him. Being interested and being desperate are two entirely different things. I'm interested in Mercedes Benz's, but I'm not buying one. And let's be clear, the one Miami is kicking the tires on is overpriced, prone to needing frequent maintenance, and has 200,000 miles on it. That's not even mentioning the fact that this particular Benz tends to smack up all the other cars in the parking lot, causing them to want to find a different parking lot.

It was said initially that we were interested but were unwilling to do it without our picks coming back to us. OKC was willing, They wanted us to include Bam. That's not happening. My guess is that the two teams have talked since the trade went down on a regular basis but that nothing is going down any time soon.

And you conveniently believe that you're bargaining from a position of strength. You're not. An unhappy Chris Paul - president of the player's union, on that contract, at his age, with his ability to alienate his costars - doesn't give you leverage.

So my advice to you is, by all means, keep him. Let him destroy SGA, Gallo, Adams, and all those nice young pieces you're going to bring in. Have fun...

The OKC are required to reach the floor whether the Heat trade for Paul or don't doesn't make a ton of difference from a strictly financial perspective.

The Heat are also the ones expressing interest. I think they'd like to move Paul to a situation he is comfortable with for the benefit of all involved but they aren't going to trade him and give up assets without getting something valuable back. So if that is the plan everyone should just move on and as the season goes along if Paul still wants to be moved he may expand the teams he would play for.

[HBK_Kliq_33]

Butler and Paul would certainly make for a compelling duo, with a legitimate shot of making it out of the East, depending on who they give up to acquire him.

They both like to point guard, i don't see that as a good fit.

He and Harden both liked to point guard too. That wasn't the problem between the two from my understanding of things.

Dragic and James Johnson gets the Heat pretty close in salary.

Miami can't get pretty close in salary. They're hard capped this year, and it's pretty close right now. They'd want flexibility out of the deal as well.

As much as I think Miami should avoid CP’s contract without taking back draft picks too, Pat Riley seems to be flying by the seat of his pants trying to rebuild a contending the last few seasons. I could see him making this move.

I think you're underestimating Pat Riley. He tends to be pretty shrewd when making trades.

D'antoni would always play Harden/Paul separately besides the first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes of the game. They didn't fit well together, that's why Paul was traded away.

[ProcessDoctor]

Surprised this hasn't happened already tbh. I think it would firmly catapult Miami into the same tier as Boston.

[The_Hater]

They both like to point guard, i don't see that as a good fit.

He and Harden both liked to point guard too. That wasn't the problem between the two from my understanding of things.

Dragic and James Johnson gets the Heat pretty close in salary.

Miami can't get pretty close in salary. They're hard capped this year, and it's pretty close right now. They'd want flexibility out of the deal as well.

As much as I think Miami should avoid CP’s contract without taking back draft picks too, Pat Riley seems to be flying by the seat of his pants trying to rebuild a contending the last few seasons. I could see him making this move.

I think you're underestimating Pat Riley. He tends to be pretty shrewd when making trades.

D'antoni would always play Harden/Paul separately besides the first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes of the game. They didn't fit well together, that's why Paul was traded away.

While they were separated to make sure at least one of them was always on the floor, they played a lot more together than just 10 mpg. Generally between 22-25 mpg. And they actually fit together great the first season when they almost won the title.

[Tiny ball]

I think a good compromise would be for CP3 to opt out of that final year of his contract and then the teams can make some type of even trade. If CP3 ever wants to go to a team where he can compete again, he’ll probably need to do that anyway. Would it be against the rules for him to agree to opt out and then officially agree to a lower amount for that final year, or no? Would he just have to opt out and trust them? I’m pretty sure I read that he can officially opt out now - doesn’t need to wait till years from now.

OKC could win a lot of games this year. If cp3 is healthy in playoffs they could possibly win a series?

[BBallFreak]

If the heat want Chris Paul they will have to take on his entire contract and/or offer a bad contract plus picks. OKC has no reason to give up assets.

Miami has no reason to take him. Being interested and being desperate are two entirely different things. I'm interested in Mercedes Benz's, but I'm not buying one. And let's be clear, the one Miami is kicking the tires on is overpriced, prone to needing frequent maintenance, and has 200,000 miles on it. That's not even mentioning the fact that this particular Benz tends to smack up all the other cars in the parking lot, causing them to want to find a different parking lot.

It was said initially that we were interested but were unwilling to do it without our picks coming back to us. OKC was willing, They wanted us to include Bam. That's not happening. My guess is that the two teams have talked since the trade went down on a regular basis but that nothing is going down any time soon.

And you conveniently believe that you're bargaining from a position of strength. You're not. An unhappy Chris Paul - president of the player's union, on that contract, at his age, with his ability to alienate his costars - doesn't give you leverage.

So my advice to you is, by all means, keep him. Let him destroy SGA, Gallo, Adams, and all those nice young pieces you're going to bring in. Have fun...

The OKC are required to reach the floor whether the Heat trade for Paul or don't doesn't make a ton of difference from a strictly financial perspective.

That makes very little sense, considering they're closer to the luxury tax than they are to the floor.

The Heat are also the ones expressing interest.

Do we really need to list the number of players Miami has expressed interest in and not, ultimately, pursued? Obviously, they're interested. They want their picks back and he represents an upgrade. Interest and desperation, however, are not to be confused.

I think they'd like to move Paul to a situation he is comfortable with for the benefit of all involved but they aren't going to trade him and give up assets without getting something valuable back. So if that is the plan everyone should just move on and as the season goes along if Paul still wants to be moved he may expand the teams he would play for.

Again, completely fine, but you won't find a team willing to take that salary without assets attached. I stand firmly by that.

And for edicificatio:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2845733-chris-paul-trade-rumors-heat-want-previously-dealt-picks-from-thunder

Miami wants their picks back. I fail to see what's changed...

[zimpy27]

I don't think you understand the situation, here. Paul's contract is awful. Miami won't be giving up picks no matter what flotsam OKC takes from us. In fact, they should still be paying Miami to take that contract.

The only way I do this trade if I'm Miami is if Paul agrees to waive that final year, but as BFRESH aptly pointed out, it's not happening.

Heat are over the cap anyway, spending more on CP3 doesn't limit their ability to sign free agents or other talent (they already can't). For over the cap teams the salary CP3 should only matter to ownership (and they seem fine with spending more). The best the Heat can do is to trade their existing expiring assets for longer-term assets for teams that want to dip under the cap ASAP.

In this case, the Heat the season after next would be Goran (if he resigns), Butler, Bam, Herro, Winslow, Waiters, JJ, and Olynyk. They can't add anyone else in FA. They are stuck. So the best they can do is trade some of these guys for a better player (CP3).

You're talking next year. That's wonderful. We don't care about next year's free-agent class. No one really good is hitting the market. It's the year after that we're focused on, and we do have cap space then. Taking on Chris Paul means we wouldn't have it, and would instead have a 37 year old Chris Paul making $44 million. Think about that. That's insane money for a guy likely to be ineffective and injured.

So, in order for Miami to take that deal, they need assets coming back. It's that simple. Our picks, or he's OKC's problem...

I'm talking about this year and next year. You're already over the cap, it doesn't matter how much CP3 makes. The money is irrelevant for the Heat, it's only relevant for OKC because they can save some money.

So then you are just talking quality of players. CP3 is an upgrade on Goran and Waiters and will be for the next 3 years.