The first day of the NBA offseason brought several massive deals, but Chris Paul‘s move from Oklahoma City to Phoenix is the biggest one.
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Paul and Abdel Nader joined Suns, while Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and the 2022 first-round pick went for OKC.
The franchise from Arizona no longer wants to outside the playoffs, and apparently, Paul’s arrival is the step that will turn them into a respectable force in the Western Conference. The Suns ended the NBA bubble in Orlando without a single loss, showing significant improvement and suggesting that they have what it takes to go to the next level.
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Come for the breakdown of the Suns acquiring Chris Paul, stay for SVP’s intrigue with my “Falling Down” eyewear. pic.twitter.com/159KxxdPrq
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020
Paul is one of the best point guards in the history of the game, and is also a superb mentor, which will be of utmost importance for the Suns’ young duo, Booker-Ayton. He earned the All-NBA second-team selection last year, while leading the Thunder towards the playoffs, even though nobody gave any chances to the team from Oklahoma. Paul posted 1736 points, 6.7 assists, and 5 boards per game.
Milwaukee landed two excellent players to support Giannis Antetokounmpo in his quest for the NBA title. Jrue Holiday from New Orleans Pelicans and Bogdan Bogdanovic from Sacramento Kings are two additions to the Bucks’ roster.
Bogdanovic comes to Wisconsin after a sign-and-trade deal, and along with the Serb, Justin James, too, moves to Milwaukee. Donte DiVincenzo, DJ Wilson, and Ersan Ilyasova head in the opposite direction.
Holiday was one of the hottest goods on the market last year, but he stayed in the Big Easy despite all the rumors about his trade. The Pelicans are getting Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and three first-round picks in exchange.
Bucks GM Jon Horst has reshaped his roster late Monday night, acquiring Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Giannis wanted to see some significant upgrades and it appears the franchise has delivered for him. Huge night for that franchise. Kings get Divincenzo, a real asset.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020
Giannis’ future was on the line over the past few weeks, with the back-to-back MVP not being sure about staying in Milwaukee. He wants to win titles, and that is why Giannis demanded more quality additions to the roster in a meeting with the board. Monday’s moves prove that the Bucks are dedicated to fulfilling all the requests of their top player, and that they have a strong intention to extend the contract with the Greek Freak.
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Both Bogdanovic and Holiday are excellent players, both with superb shooting abilities, and are expected to help Giannis significantly in the upcoming season by stretching the rivals’ defenses.