On Wednesday, some sloppy journalism led many to believe that Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul was waived by the team.
NBA Insider Chris Haynes announced the news on his Twitter. However, Kellan Olson, an Arizona Sports editor and reporter, shared that the “Phoenix Suns confirm that Chris Paul has not been waived” on his Twitter following Haynes’ initial report.
Despite Paul still being a part of the Suns, this confusing situation puts the Sun’s front office in a challenging position.
It’s not news that the Suns would shop around Paul this off-season following their disappointing second-round exit to the Denver Nuggets. But this whole situation puts Paul’s trade value even lower than it was prior to the news.
In the event Paul is eventually traded, here are some teams that could realistically acquire him.
Phoenix Suns receive- Kyle Lowry
Miami Heat receive- Chris Paul
Due to Paul’s old age, at least in the world of the NBA, Paul will likely want to be traded to a contender.
That leads to this trade with the Miami Heat, who are currently in the NBA Finals. Although Paul isn’t the same player he was in the early 2010s, he is still an upgrade over all of the point guards on the Heat’s roster.
For the Suns, they receive something instead of nothing in this trade. Even though Lowry is a downgrade compared to Paul, his contract will end a year later than Paul’s, giving the Suns more avenues to explore.
Phoenix Suns receive- Eric Gordon, Nicolas Batum, 2023 second-round pick (48th overall)
Los Angeles Clippers receive- Chris Paul
A Paul-Clipper reunion has to be on the table for the Clippers this off-season.
With no guarantee the Clippers can bring back Russell Westbrook following the new cap rules announced this season, the Clippers still find a starting point guard while getting rid of the congestion in the shooting guard slot.
As for the Suns, this trade is equivalent to how the Heat trade works for them. Gordon and Batum both have deals that will expire at the end of next season, giving them those same avenues to explore.
While that second-round pick is worth little to the Suns, it still allows them to add to their roster through the draft, a luxury the Suns won’t be able to take advantage of anytime soon following their trade for Kevin Durant.
In the event Paul is eventually waived, here are some teams that would be interested in signing Paul.
Los Angeles Lakers-
Despite the Lakers having a laundry list of players to resign this season, we must remember that Paul can’t command that large of a contract anymore. It wouldn’t work financially, especially if he wants to join a contender.
That’s what leads to the possibility of the Lakers signing him. With D’Angelo Russell due for some money this season, signing Paul would be an attractive move for the Lakers to make.
The Lakers could sign Paul to a minimum contract if he’s interested in signing with the team. In turn, because the Lakers have bird rights over Russell, they could then sign and trade Russell to another team to bolster other parts of their roster.
Not to mention, the Lakers could still re-sign all of the players they want back from this season’s roster. This move would upgrade their team without having to spend a single dime, making another trip to the Western Conference Finals a possibility.
Houston Rockets-
It’s fun to explore player-team reunions.
Although the Rockets are reportedly heavily pursuing James Harden in free agency this year, there’s no guarantee he will sign with the team. Harden is still torn between joining the Rockets in free agency and staying with the Philadelphia 76ers.
While Paul isn’t even near the level of Harden, this signing gives the Rockets a great floor general and some interesting trade possibilities to explore come next season’s trade deadline.
For the sake of conversation, let’s say Paul has a great year for the Rockets, but the team’s still performing poorly. The Rockets could then flip Paul to a contender for younger players or assets to help with the rebuild.
This signing would be purely for the money for Paul, as the Houston Rockets were the second-worst team in the NBA this season. However, considering the scenario above, Paul could still be traded to a contender, all while making more money than he would be signing the veteran minimum.
With all of this in mind, Paul and the Suns have multiple things they can do to accomplish what works for the best of them this off-season. However, following this false report it might make things harder for both parties.
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