Future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul is in the back end of his career. The Phoenix Suns star continues to deal with myriad injuries at the age of 37. In fact, Paul has missed 21 of a possible 51 games thus far on the season.
It has led to widespread speculation that Phoenix could look for his heir-apparent either ahead of the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline or during free agency this coming summer.
Playing under a four-year, $120 million contract, it stands to reason that other teams wouldn’t show interest in Paul on the trade block. That’s magnified by the fact that he’s under contract through at least 2023-24.
Despite this, it does seem like other teams are checking on Paul’s situation with the Suns.
“Again, zero known interest from the Suns in trading CP3, but other executives are keeping a side eye on that situation in the event that Phoenix — with new ownership reportedly set to be in place soon — decides to focus on sustaining a core around Devin Booker,” Matt Moore of Action Network reported recently.
- Chris Paul stats (2022-23): 14.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 8.7 APG, 45% shooting, 41% 3-point
Despite his injury issues, Paul is still playing at a relatively high level when he’s on the court. The issue has been availability.
With new owner Mat Ishbia having taken over the disgraced Robert Sarver recently, there’s a belief in the desert that he could look to change things up a bit. The Suns find themselves at just 26-25 on the campaign after winning 64 games a season ago. They are going to build around star guard Devin Booker. They are also expected to be active ahead of the in-season NBA trade deadline.
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Fits for Chris Paul if the Phoenix Suns entertain a trade
NBA Championship contenders in both conferences would have interest in Paul. Despite his advanced age, the average salary of $30 million isn’t seen as a net-negative. Heck, Myles Turner just inked an extension with the Indiana Pacers for that amount.
Looking at it logically, we doubt that Phoenix would be willing to move Paul to a Western Conference contender. Despite its struggles to start this season, the team views itself in that very same light.
Back east, multiple teams would view Paul as an upgrade over their current starting point guard. In particular, the Miami Heat come to mind. Perhaps, they can offer up veteran Kyle Lowry as a stopgap option for Phoenix.
Miami could also sweeten the pot with sharpshooter Duncan Robinson heading to Phoenix and Jae Crowder finding his way to South Beach. He’s sat out all season in preparation for a trade and has been linked to Miami.
- Chris Paul contract: 4 years, $120 million; $28.4 million cap hit in 2022-23
The Chicago Bulls could also get involved by offering up Lonzo Ball as a long-term option at the point. Add in Alex Caruso’s status on the trade block, and these two teams could get together in a blockbuster.