Chris Paul to be waived by Phoenix Suns
Chris Paul is out of Phoenix! In a shocking turn of events, the Suns are waiving the future Hall-of-Fame point guard. He is now set to be a free agent and sign anywhere he chooses, according to Bleacher Report NBA insider Chris Haynes!
BREAKING: Phoenix Suns have notified star Chris Paul that he will be waived, making the future Hall of Famer one of the top free agents this offseason, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 7, 2023
A toddler could tell you that CP3 has lost a step at 37-years-old. But, there are few basketball minds as sharp as the 18-year veteran. Of course, the early favorite for his signature is probably the Los Angeles Lakers.
Not only would he team up with close friend LeBron James, but he would also finally make the move to purple and gold after the 2011 trade was vetoed by the NBA.
It was simply a tough finish to what could’ve been an exciting year for the Phoenix Suns. As soon as they acquired Kevin Durant, they became the runaway favorites to win the Western Conference. But, it wasn’t meant to be. They prevailed in the first round against a hobbled LA Clippers team in five games. That’s where the fun ended, however, as Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets dispatched them in six games.
It didn’t help that Durant picked up a lower-body injury in the regular season that delayed his ability to gel with his new squad. But, there’s only one ball.
Durant, Paul and Devin Booker have all shown they are players who thrive with the ball in their hands, and it simply didn’t come together in the playoffs. Denver was a well-oiled machine with great chemistry, while the Suns were still trying to figure things out. You also can’t forget the new owner Mat Ishbia allowed the team to lose pretty much all of their depth in the Durant trade.
Phoenix already finds itself in the middle of a cataclysmic offseason. First, they fired Monty Williams. Now it’s getting rid of Paul for nothing. Rumors are already swirling about Phoenix possibly getting rid of Deandre Ayton as well. They’re going to be one of many teams in the West trying to knock the Nuggets off their perch.
While the release of CP3 does save them roughly $15 million in cap space, they’re now going to have to find a new starting point guard and upgrade their role players. Booker and Durant are one of the best duos in the entire NBA, but Ishbia and general manager James Jones now have their work cut out for them to create a roster that gets Phoenix back to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
This is yet another rollercoaster of a day in the NBA. Chris Paul still has got some gas in the tank and wants a ring as much as anyone in the league. Imagine what kind of moves will take place after the Finals are done and a champion is crowned!
The Suns waived Chris Paul and for the life of me I can’t figure out what it accomplished pic.twitter.com/KVOA9KsvwT
— Trey Daubert (@treydaubert) June 7, 2023
