3 reasons the Phoenix Suns boldly waived Chris Paul

The Phoenix Suns made the boldest move of the summer so far, by waiving the Point God, Chris Paul. A move that stunned many, even if the money he was due to make this coming season was essentially impossible to shoehorn next to that of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton.

With Paul out of the picture in Phoenix, for now at least, it remains to be seen what other moves the organization will make this summer. Already they have completely overhauled their coaching staff, and in getting their business with Paul done early, the Suns look set to continue leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of a championship.

Although Paul found himself as the odd man out with the Suns, there were several factors at play in the decision of the franchise to let him go.

He is an all-time great, potentially the greatest point guard in the history of the franchise (and that is certainly saying something), and a player who absolutely could have been of use to the Suns when they get into deep waters in the offseason next year. At 38-years-old, health was becoming more of an issue, but Paul was still capable of having a positive impact on most nights.

Defensively he may have slipped considerably, but this was not the reason he was let go. Coach Vogel has already spoken about his desire to have “the big fella” Ayton be the first line of defence for the team anyway, just as he should be. It would have been expensive, but Paul could also have come off the bench.

3 reasons the Phoenix Suns boldly waived Chris Paul.

3. Chris Paul was cut to create space for depth

The most obvious reason for letting Paul leave for nothing is so the Suns can turn the cap space that has now been opened up into two or three rotation players for the team. The importance of this cannot be overstated, as the Suns currently have zero depth and are having to talk themselves into players like Jae Crowder.

But this is not an open and shut case of saving money, as of Paul’s $30.8 million deal for this coming season, the Suns will still have to pay him $15.8 million. Worse still for them, this will count against their cap sheet anyway, which makes waiving a player of his quality a puzzling move.

Halving the money owed to Paul is still something though, and it would allow the Suns to go shopping for a player or two that would have been out of their price range before now. There is another train of thought taking hold however, and that is one where the Suns stretch the $15.8 million owed to him over five years, making the $3 million this season much easier to swallow.

This is the best case scenario for the organization, and it would allow them to address not only the need for wing depth, but to also replace Paul in some capacity as well. Cam Payne is the team’s only real option at the point guard position currently, and although he has had his moments with the Suns, you are not winning a championship with him running the show.

Stretching Paul means being able to add the wing depth and modestly priced point guard all in one go, a complete retool on the fly for the Suns as they mould their roster around Booker and Durant. As a brief aside, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has also mentioned Ayton’s name as another to keep an eye on as this Paul story continues to develop.

3 reasons the Phoenix Suns boldly waived Chris Paul.

2. Chris Paul wasn’t able to be moved via trade

This is news Paul himself won’t want to hear, although it shouldn’t surprise him. The list of teams who want a player who will be 40-years-old on May 6th, 2025 is not long. Making over $30 million this season and next was not only a deterrent because of the risks of paying that much money to an ageing player, but because the new CBA has hamstrung most teams.

The only organizations with cap space are those such as the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. Teams in the middle of complete rebuilds who Paul, at this stage of his career, would have had no interest in playing with anyway. That street went both ways though, as they don’t have a need for him either.

Cool as it may have been to have Paul show Victor Wembanyama the ropes in his maiden NBA season, he would have seen the final buzzer go off on a career in a small market where making the playoffs wasn’t even likely. That’s not how he wants to go out, but the teams who could have done with him, like the Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks, couldn’t make a trade work.

A swap with another superstar guard on a massive contract, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, would have been interesting. But again, there was no incentive for the Trail Blazers to engage in such a deal. Why give up the best player in franchise history for an even older guard, and who only pushes the direction of the organization sideways?

The sad reality then is that although this does save the Suns money, they were never going to get a deal for Paul via trade anyway. He may have been the President of the Player’s Association who oversaw even larger contracts for star players, but in the end it was that mammoth number associated with Paul that meant he couldn’t get sent to another contender.

3 reasons the Phoenix Suns boldly waived Chris Paul.

1. Chris Paul will be back with the Phoenix Suns

It is time to put on the tinfoil hat here, but this isn’t as ridiculous as it appears on face value. Firstly though the important bit, and that is that if the Suns were to stretch Paul’s deal, he would be unable to come back and play for them again this season on any sort of contract. That wouldn’t be bending the rules, it would be snapping them.

Paul knows the Suns represent one of the best chances to win a championship, and although he could go anywhere he wanted now that he has been waived, there are few better options out there for him. You could argue the Lakers and that is fine, or even the Miami Heat. But we’re just scratching the surface on this Booker/Durant duo, and it is one Paul should want to see himself.

We’ve already mentioned how the Suns need depth, and being waived so as to get half of Paul’s money off the books would allow them to add some players of value. If he then came back himself on a much smaller deal, it would negate the need for the team to go looking for another guard at all through free agency or trade.

Again Paul could come off the bench if needed, although the idea of Payne running the show on a lot of nights it terrifying. Still, this is a situation where everybody is happy. Paul gets to stick with a contender, the Suns make their cap situation more manageable, and the coaching staff get to keep a player who will one day surely be a coach himself.

This is exactly the kind of move owner Mat Ishbia would make as well. Since buying the Suns just before Christmas last year, he has already traded for Durant, added Isiah Thomas to the front office, duelled with Nikola Jokic for a basketball, fired Monty Williams and completely remade the coaching staff while spending a lot of money, and now waived Paul.

It is a level of aggression and willingness to do what it takes to win that we do see from new owners, only Ishbia appears to be approaching this in a way we haven’t seen before. The Thomas news was quiet, the coaching moves far from flashy and the waiving of Paul quick. If anybody is going to turn around and bring him back again, it is Ishbia and the Suns.