The Phoenix Suns have solidified their roster this offseason, headlined by the re-signing of starting center Deandre Ayton.
But while the short-term issues may have been solved for now, general manager James Jones and the front office still have some future considerations to make.
Facing an uncertain future at the point-guard position, would the Phoenix Suns consider trading veteran Chris Paul for a younger, more long-term option?
Paul has elevated the Suns into a championship contender since his arrival in the 2020 offseason. After missing the playoffs for ten straight seasons, the Suns have been the best regular season team since Paul’s arrival and narrowly lost the 2021 NBA championship to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 37-year-old’s impact has to be respected, as does his hall of fame career to date. But basketball is a business, an aspect Paul knows well given the Suns are his fifth team throughout 17 decorated seasons in the league.
The Suns point-guard depth remains a question this offseason, but more poignantly, what exactly is their plan post Paul? While he remains a valuable player and Phoenix are in championship contention, perhaps it’s a question they’ll park for when it’s presented later down the track.
But if the front office wants to get on the front foot, then they may look at addressing this issue in the near future. Such a move could see Paul be moved in a possible transaction.
The most important aspect is this – the Suns are in championship contention, therefore they WILL NOT trade Paul for anyone they consider to be less of an impact than he is currently.
What does that mean? It means that if Paul were to be traded for a different point-guard option, it would be for either a better player, or one on a similar level that can theoretically be a starter for the next 5+ years.
Subsequently, any deal would likely involve Phoenix attaching assets to Paul rather than the other way around. Depending on the value of the incoming player, that could include a host of future picks and/or a young player like Cameron Johnson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wCm_zBDjEo
It’s what makes a Paul trade so unlikely – he just has so much more value to the Suns than any other potential team. However, the front office does need to evaluate when the 12-time All-Star will slow down.
There were already some signs last season, even though Paul led the league in assists at 10.8 per game. He averaged a career-low 14.7 points per game, and by extension, his three-point percentage (31.7%) was by far the worst since his rookie year (28.2%).
He also had some well documented form issues to conclude the playoffs. After the Suns took a 2-0 lead against the Dallas Mavericks in the second round, Paul averaged less than 10 points per game as his team lost in game seven at home.
Still, signs of decline probably haven’t been consistent enough to warrant substantial concern just yet. While Paul is far from untouchable, it’s highly unlikely that the Suns make a move on their franchise leader.