Has the desert gone dry of logic and reason too? The Phoenix Suns are reportedly making one of the dumbest decisions I’ve ever seen as they are RELEASING Chris Paul for ABSOUTLEY NOTHING, despite the market of teams looking for a PG being quite strong.
This may very well be the decision that dooms this iteration of the Suns.
The Phoenix Suns are set to break up the short-lived “Big 3” in Phoenix as they are supposedly releasing Chris Paul into the free agency market for absolutely nothing, even though they’re at least a half dozen teams in dire need of a veteran, Hall of Fame-caliber point guard. And, as you’ve seen, I think this is just a boneheaded move.
I understand that the Chris Paul of today is nowhere near the player he was with the Pelicans and Clippers, and he’s not even the player he was during his early days with Phoenix.
Paul is currently 38 years old, he only played 59 games in the regular season (lowest since 2019), averaged 13.0 PPG (career-low), 4.3 RPG (lowest since 2016), 8.9 APG (lowest since 2020), 1.5 SPG (lowest since 2021), and missed the final four games in the Suns 2nd round matchup against the Nuggets (which they lost 4-2).
So, along with the Suns failing to win the NBA title after giving up the kitchen sink for Kevin Durant, a new ownership group, Monty Williams getting fired as head coach, and guards like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, D’Angelo Russell, and Fred VanVleet all set to hit the open market, I understand the logic behind moving on from Paul and his $30M/season cap hit. That makes sense.
What doesn’t make sense is the fact that the Suns are about to let a point guard, who despite being 38 years old and injury prone, put up 13.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 8.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, is a future Hall of Famer, averaged 32 minutes/game, and is one of the most experienced NBA players around walk for free.
Who does that?!?!?!
As I mentioned earlier, there’s at least 6-8 teams in the NBA who desperately need a veteran point guard and have the assets to make this trade work.
Just off the top of my head, the Memphis Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers (if Westbrook doesn’t return), Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat (even though they are three wins away from an NBA title), and the Dallas Mavericks (if Kyrie Irving doesn’t resign) all need a guy like Chris Paul for various different reasons.
You could easily squeeze out 2-3 1st round picks from organizations like the Lakers (if they even have the capital), Clippers, Heat, Celtics, 76ers, and Grizzlies to bring in a point guard who can still run an offense for 75% of a game, is still one of the best passers in the league, has the experience of 18 years in the NBA, and can score near 15 points per night.
Why would you give up those potential assets for free?
Sure, the salary issues with Paul’s $30M/year contract for the next two seasons might come into play for the compensation, but even just a single 1st round pick is better than letting one of the greatest point guards in league history and the best PG in Suns team history to walk for free.
There’s a reason why the Suns always fail at the final hurtle, and this is exactly why if the rumors are true.
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