Chris Paul is by Far the Biggest Loser of Monster Russell Westbrook Trade

No NBA fan was ready for this news on their Thursday night.

NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski dropped his latest Woj Bomb, reporting that the Oklahoma City Thunder had agreed to deal eight-time All-Star Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets. That's right, Westbrook will reunite with former teammate James Harden in H-Town.

As with any trade, one figure has to play the role of sacrificial lamb, and in this blockbuster, that person is Chris Paul.

The veteran point guard is perhaps the biggest loser of this trade, due mostly to the fact that he is now on a Thunder squad that is in the midst of a rebuild, armed with an unwieldy contract meant for a contender to tolerate, not an also-ran to house while it wastes away.

Let's not forget Oklahoma City pulled off another monster trade this past Sunday. The Thunder sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a bevy of first round picks, Danilo Gallinari, and more importantly, young point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Make no mistake about it that Gilgeous-Alexander should be the starting point guard for the Thunder from here on out. That leaves Paul floating around as the backup (?) in a best-case scenario in OKC, a far cry from what he was expecting entering the 2019-20 season.

There's always the possibility of Paul getting flipped to another team at the start of the regular season, but it's unknown what market he will have. More importantly, Paul is now entering the second season of his four-year, $160 million contract. In order to move him, the Thunder would have to surrender one of their EIGHT first-round picks (or more), which is highly unlikely to be something they would consider.

As of now, Chris Paul will not contend for an NBA Championship next season. Now, he's on a Oklahoma City Thunder team looking to bolster their squad in the next five-plus years.

That's not his timeline. And that's tough to deal with.