When the Houston Rockets traded Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2019, it appeared to be part of a massive teardown effort in OKC. They already flipped Paul George to the Clippers for a young point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of picks six days prior,

Spurs free agent Chris Paul spoke on Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on ESPN before their Game 2 against the Timberwolves

The Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 in the blockbuster Paul George trade. OKC also acquired Chris Paul from the Houston Rockets in 2019 in the Russell Westbrook trade.