PHOENIX — A report from Chris Haynes of Turner Sports on Wednesday indicated that despite a diminished role and another postseason injury, the Phoenix Suns are expected to keep 38-year-old point guard Chris Paul on the team next season.
Paul is owed more than $30 million on his contract, but only about $16 million is guaranteed. The Suns have until June 28 to decide whether to guarantee the deal.
In a Thursday edition of the Locked On Suns podcast, hosts Brendon Kleen and Aaron Edwards explored the Suns’ intentions and why this report would come out so early in the NBA offseason.
“The only real win that I could imagine that would cause them to want to put this out there is to maintain some leverage if they do eventually trade him,” Kleen explained. “They must be putting this leak out there to show teams we don’t have to do anything, we don’t have to trade him so if you want him, you’re going to have to come get him.”
Regardless of how they approach the guarantee date or what they signal to opposing teams, the Suns must decide whether Paul is worth bringing back on such a rich deal, and whether the current makeup of the team fits his style.
“Even though he’s one of the greatest floor generals of all time, I think having one dude just make all of the big decisions on the floor, that time has come,” Edwards said. “(Devin Booker) has grown, (Kevin Durant) has been out there now, Book doesn’t need (Paul) anymore.”
The Suns already fired head coach Monty Williams following a six-game defeat from the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. The team’s next coach could alter the style of the team to play more to Booker and Durant’s strengths rather than the pick-and-roll attack Paul prefers.
“It’s time to evolve what that spot might be and play a little bit differently,” Kleen said.
With Booker and Durant, the Suns also now have elite players at the most valuable positions in basketball -- the wing. They can likely spread out their spending across the roster in a more balanced way considering how many solid, affordable point guards and centers there are in the NBA these days.
“That’s a huge upgrade over what the Suns have had before where they didn’t have a second-best player for a long time, then their second-best player was an old point guard,” Kleen explained. “Now it’s two wings at the end or beginning of their prime. That’s what you want.”