does this need thermal paste?

What you are asking is the same thing. If the cooler has paste applied to the bottom, you don't need to by any. But if you take the cooler off for any reason, you need to apply more thermal paste. Not a bad idea to get some, it's cheap anyway.
 
If you buy a new CPU and are reusing your current heatsink, then yes, you will need to purchase thermal paste.
 
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