The Cinderella story of Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended today after they lost Game 7 to the Houston Rockets in a tightly contested game. It finished 104-102.

But despite the heartbreaking loss, there is no reason for Paul and company to be sorry as they certainly disappointed their haters this season by putting up an impressive run.

Before the start of the season, after Paul was traded to Oklahoma for Russell Westbrook from Houston, they only had a 1.4% chance of making the playoffs – a point that today’s announcers repeatedly hammered home.

What the experts didn’t bank on, however, was the effect of leadership from the 35-year-old Paul.

Adding to that was the growing game of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and contributions from players like Steven Adams, Dennis Schröder and Danilo Gallanari.

The Thunder did not only secure a playoff spot but they won 44 games and had the same record as the Rockets, a team that has two former MVPs on the roster.

Oklahoma City are in a good position moving forward. Not only did their young guns get the playoff experience they needed for the future, they may also have found their dynamic duo of the future in Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, who scored 30 points in the rubber match against Houston. It was the most points scored by an undrafted rookie in a Game 7.

However, one man is now once again under the microscope. The question in a lot of minds now is what’s next for the aging Point God of the NBA?

Before the start of the start of the season, a lot of people were counting Paul out, calling him “washed” and “old”. He went on to average 17.6 points, five rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.6 steals on 48.9% shooting from the field during the regular season. He was selected as an All-Star for the 10th time in his career.

He also showed brilliance in the playoffs and led the Thunder in the seven-game series with averages of 21.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 49.1% shooting. Aside from his numbers, he was the obvious leader of the team, making sure everyone was in check on and off the court during the series. Not bad for “washed” player if you ask me.

We all know that the 14-year veteran can still ball and can still be a huge factor for a contender. So, is it time for him to join a championship team next season?

If you could remember before the NBA shutdown, there were lots of rumors involving Paul and where he would be traded this season. However, things didn’t happen, chiefly because of his huge contract. Paul will be paid $38.5 million this season, $41.3 million next season and $44.2 million during the 2021-22 season and he’ll be turning 36 midway through next season.

However, after his stellar performance this season, some teams may want to take a flier and pay him if it means he could push them over the top.

What is Paul demands a trade out of Oklahoma?

If Paul decides to leave Oklahoma and demand a trade, a championship contending team has the pieces to make a deal for him and would still have the important pieces left to be a legitimate threat to win it all next season.

There was talk before the season about the six-foot-one guard being shipped off to South Beach to help the Miami Heat become a legitimate contender in the East, but things didn’t work out for some reason.

In the upcoming offseason, a big trade involving Paul, OKC and the Heat could go down.

Miami could build up a package of Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Kelly Olynyk, Myers Leonard (sign and trade for a contract similar to his expiring $11.2 million deal), Andre Iguodala, KZ Okpala and their 2020 first round pick for Paul and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Dennis Schroder.

This would be a great deal for the Thunder since they’d be getting a young and promising guard In Nunn and a deadly shooter in Robinson plus the Heat’s first round pick as well. Olynyk, Leonard and Iguodala would be a great veteran presence as well on the team and impact makers as well.

Oklahoma could sign Leonard since they won’t be losing a lot of key players on the team next season so paying him and using him as a possible trade asset in the future would still be a plus.

Olynyk has a $12 million player option after this season ends, and the smart money would be for him to take it. Additionally, Iguodala’s contract is only guaranteed until the end of next season. That means should the Thunder want to make another trade to land an established star, they’d have $27 million worth of expiring contracts to dangle in front of other teams. This could be sweetened further to close to $40 million should Leonard’s contract be included in a trade package.

It’s highly likely that they’d lose Gallinari in free agency as he could join a championship contending team. At the age of 29, he doesn’t really fit into the Thunder’s long-term plans and they’d be hard pressed to give him a contract that looks anything like his expiring $22.6 million dollar paycheck.

For the Heat on the other hand, would gain an all-time great point guard in Paul, and they’d also be getting a young and talented combo guard in Schroder. Which means their present and future are in good situation.

Now you might say that the Jimmy Butler vs. Chris Paul beef would be a problem.

However, you have to remember that these two only care about winning. So, it’s no question that they’ll be able to mesh together.

However, if Paul chooses to stay with the Thunder, it certainly wouldn’t be a terrible situation. He would continue to be seen as the leader of the team for another year or two. He would also continue to be a great mentor for rising stars like Alexander and this year’s breakout player Dort. It feels like Paul will be in a decent situation either way. Let’s see how the situation develops.