When the Knicks named Leon Rose as the new team president eight months ago, it was with an eye toward his decades of connections to the NBA stars and the hope that he could do what so many have failed to accomplish before: bring superstars to Madison Square Garden.
But Rose missed out on the first of those Monday when the NBA officially opened the gates on the trade market and Chris Paul, a longtime client of Rose, was dealt from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Phoenix Suns.
The problem here was not any connection between Rose and Paul, but the price tag for the 35-year-old point guard. The Suns sent out Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, a 2022 first-round pick, as well as guards Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque.
