There's no question the Phoenix Suns are in a tough spot. Kevin Durant is likely on his way out the door this summer, while Devin Booker appears to be here to stay. There's not a lot of obvious paths for the Suns to upgrade. With that in mind, could they make an unexpected move and bring back Chris Paul?
I know, it's probably the last thing you expected to hear. The last time Paul was a member of the Suns, he was a couple of years younger and a bit more effective from an overall perspective. But without many better options, perhaps Phoenix should turn back to old reliable.
When you think about it, Chris Paul kind of changed the direction of the Suns franchise after his arrival in the 2020 offseason. Sure, they were already trending up in that previous season with a 46% winning percentage. However in the 2020-21 season, Phoenix finished second in the Western Conference with a 70% winning percentage, making it all the way to the NBA Finals in the playoffs.
After coming two wins away from the franchise's first ever NBA championship in 2021, the Suns then went to back-to-back Western Conference semifinal rounds with Paul as one of the main catalysts in the next two seasons. Trading him away in 2023 felt like the right move at the time, but perhaps it was a bit premature.
The Suns could bring back Chris Paul
The 2023-24 season with the Golden State Warriors was a different one for CP3. It was the first season in his career where he was primarily coming off the bench, and that didn't exactly accelerate his production. However, this past season with the San Antonio Spurs, Paul played all 82 games. He started in each one of them, and proved that he still has quite a bit more left in the tank than we may have initially thought.
More than anything, what Paul brought to the Spurs this past season was an invaluable locker room presence. He helped grow the team's culture, and built up some of the young guys on the roster with considerable talent. We obviously saw him do this in Phoenix, as well as in Oklahoma City prior to that with a guy who eventually became a league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Who's to say that leadership and guiding presence wouldn't be valuable for the Suns yet again? It's not exactly like Phoenix has many better options on the table. They don't have the ability to spend a lot, and Paul could be acquired on a minimum deal.
It does generally feel like the vibes in the locker room need to be reset for the Phoenix Suns. That could be accomplished by bringing on Chris Paul once again, and he'd be an excellent organizer of the team's offense as well. Not everybody will agree with it, but this is an option that should at least be considered.