Suns must avoid even bigger mistake after missing out on Chris Paul

The Phoenix Suns may have brought no fewer than nine new faces through the door this offseason - and they may not be done yet - but one player they were unsuccessful in bringing back on what is likely his final season is Chris Paul. The point guard beloved in The Valley because of how he helped to turn the fortunes of the franchise around.

When he arrived they were a fun young team - and by the time he left - they'd made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Instead it is the L.A. Clippers who will get to have a swan song with the "Point God", while the Suns contemplate going for the likes of Ben Simmons - which as you can imagine - is not a wise decision.

Suns must also avoid Russell Westbrook at all costs.

The franchise are still in need of a point guard for next season, while Russell Westbrook continues to remain unsigned by any other team. The 36-year-old last played for the Denver Nuggets, and he was actually an excellent addition by that organization. The key difference with Phoenix being however, that they also employ Nikola Jokic.

The Serbian center makes everybody around him better with his style of play - and while Devin Booker can also elevate his teammates - he does so in a drastically different way. Which is one of the many reasons the front office need to not get blinded by Westbrook's name, and instead focus on a floor general who could be a much better fit.

We have some thoughts on that, while the team seems desperate to employ Booker as a point guard for stretches again once more. Although the fit with Booker would be clunky, it would be even worse with Jalen Green. The overlap between both of their games - from an "I've got this" perspective at least - is high, and the Suns don't need anybody other than the 23-year-old having that mentality.

Dillon Brooks and Westbrook on the same roster also looks problematic, and really this just does nothing for the spacing issues that the team would clearly have. As it is they're not going anywhere next season, while Westbrook to his credit has continually proven to be a floor-raiser for a roster that is chasing the play-in tournament.

The Suns don't need that right now, and instead should be looking for longer-term solutions. The only reason Paul made sense - and he didn't really - is because there is a history there, it would be nostalgic to have him for one more season and his relationship with Booker. That and he's among the best veterans in the league to have around younger players.

Given what we know about this front office though, they may not be able to resist Westbrook. Perhaps they see it as a way of adding a name to a roster - but for much less money - kind of like the opposite of what Bradley Beal brought to The Valley. It's still not as bad a solution as Simmons, but it's not much better. A giant no.