Suns' red flags on full display if Chris Paul rumors are true

The Phoenix Suns may have remade their roster this offseason after the departures of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, but that doesn't mean that all of their problems have been solved. There is a ton of pressure on Jalen Green to succeed right away, while Devin Booker's extension came at a puzzling time for the franchise.

It is fair to point out that owner Mat Ishbia had to extend the 28-year-old as he is the franchise at this point, but rewarding a 36 win season is a bit strange. It is likely this was done to prepare Booker for a few seasons of not contending, but that doesn't mean that the timing was perfect either. That's not the only worrying development for a front office that is supposed to now be aligned.

Suns apparently had no interest in Chris Paul reunion.

Although we're about to exit July, that hasn't stopped Marc Stein from having plenty to report about throughout the league. Chris Paul landing with the L.A. Clippers for his farewell tour at 40-years-old being one of the more notable events that are happening at this stage of the summer. Paul only wanted to play for either Clippers or the Suns, but according to Stein, Phoenix made that call for him.

That's because although Paul considered going back, the Suns opted to pursue fellow point guard Marcus Smart hard instead. When they failed to land him - Smart went to the Los Angeles Lakers instead - they eventually settled on the cap friendly duo of Jordan Goodwin and Jared Butler. That kind of makes sense, but neither is close to Paul's level of playmaking even at his advanced age.

Perhaps the most head-scratching piece of information to come out of all of this, was the fact Booker was on board with a reunion with Paul. They had led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals, and Booker clearly liked the idea of doing that again for one more season, even if it didn't make the team contenders again.

This once again highlights the lack of consistency in the front office right now, even after making some notable moves such as hiring Brian Gregory as General Manager. They traded away Jusuf Nurkic to try and remain competitive at the deadline, but that then didn't make sense after they moved on from Durant and Beal anyway.

The belief from Stein is that Paul's considerable voice and presence could have been a distraction for a first year head coach in Jordan Ott. That might be true, but it's not like Booker doesn't have a ton of experience at this point in his career either. If that's the reason they didn't bring Paul back, it is a silly one that does not align with what they're trying to build right now.

The Suns are still lacking in a true playmaker and need veterans to help their young players along, and Paul is among the most qualified players in the entire league in both of those areas. The fact he was open to going back to Phoenix for the season is even worse. Just when you think you have the Suns figured out, they do something puzzling like this that can't be explained.