2. Chris Paul
There was a fleeting moment there where it seemed like the Suns might just be able to get Chris Paul back in The Valley. One of the key members of the 2021 run to the NBA Finals, the likelihood of Paul being waived by the Golden State Warriors was strong.
The hope then became that Paul would see the Suns as one of his best chances to win a championship, while it would still keep him close to his family in Los Angeles. The franchise still needs a point guard, and Paul could have been their floor general off the bench and to close games while Devin Booker and Bradley Beal did all of the heavy lifting.
Breaking: Chris Paul has agreed on a one-year, $11 million-plus deal with the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/K2rRHDTT44
— ESPN (@espn) July 1, 2024
Instead Paul made the somewhat surprising move to head to the San Antonio Spurs on a one-year, $11 million deal. Surprising in that he won't come close to winning a championship, although the prospect of playing a season with French phenom Victor Wembanyama was clearly too good to turn down.
Now 39-years-old, this was likely the last chance for the Suns to get the "Point God" back in Phoenix, and unlike Oubre Jr. the minimum could have been viewed as enough to get a deal done. Instead the Spurs and their far superior cap space swooped in and turned Paul's eye, leaving the Suns still lacking in a floor general.