One of the greatest NBA players of his generation, future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul is set to hit NBA free agency.
According to Chris Haynes of Turner Sports, the Phoenix Suns have informed the 38-year-old Paul that he is being waived after three seasons with the team.
While Paul dealt with another injury-plagued 2022-23 campaign, this report was a surprise. This comes on the heels of another report indicating that Paul was likely to be back with the Suns. At the very least, most figured that Phoenix would be able to work out a trade while acquiring a couple assets in return.
Instead, the Suns have opted to waive Chris Paul with $15.8 million of his 2023-24 salary guaranteed. Paul was set to count a total of $30.8 million against the 2023-24 salary cap. This does save the Suns $15 million as the team looks to improve this summer after another premature exit in the NBA Playoffs.
Phoenix fired head coach Monty Williams after losing in the Western Conference Semifinals to the Denver Nuggets. The Suns then opted to replace him with Frank Vogel. Apparently, the team did not see Paul as a fit in Vogel’s scheme.
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Chris Paul stats (2022-23): 13.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 8.9 APG, 44% shooting, 38% 3-point
Despite his injury issues and advanced age, a number of contending teams are likely to have interest in CP3 in free agency. This includes a Los Angeles Lakers squad that’s looking to improve at point guard following D’Angelo Russell’s postseason struggles.
But interest in Paul won’t be limited to that. While teams are not looking at the prime version of CP3, he can still could probably contribute on a contending squad.