According to reports from NBA circles, a trade that will send future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul from Oklahoma City to Phoenix also will include a former Jayhawk.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, among others, is reporting that guard Kelly Oubre Jr. will be included in the deal that sends Paul to Phoenix along with Abdel Nader.
Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick will be heading to OKC with Oubre.
The former KU one-and-done standout who averaged 9.3 points and 5 rebounds in 21 minutes per game for the Jayhawks during the 2014-15 season, has blossomed into a bona fide scorer in the NBA.
Quiet out of the gate after being the 15th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Oubre made more starts (55) during the 2019-20 season with Phoenix than he did in his first four seasons in the league combined (44).
He also delivered career scoring numbers with the Suns in 2019-20, averaging 18.7 points per game in 56 games.
Oubre made a name for himself in Washington, playing a valuable role on a couple of playoff teams with the Wizards. But the move to Phoenix has opened the door for him to become one of the key pieces of a franchise.
Last season, Oubre’s shooting numbers were up almost across the board, and he hit a career-best 35.2% of his 3-point attempts and also registered the best effective field goal percentage of his career at 51.7%.
Overall, Oubre’s game has started to take on a more well-rounded look, as he has put an even greater emphasis on defense, rebounding and assists during his time in Phoenix.
That production came at the right time, too, as the Suns signed Oubre to a 2-year $30 million deal last July.
Oubre had surgery in early March to repair a torn right meniscus and did not play for the Suns during their 8-0 run in the NBA’s restart bubble that nearly earned them a playoff spot.
