NBA News: Chris Paul has captivated NBA headlines ever since it was announced he would be waived by the Phoenix Suns. Chris Paul has two years left on his four-year, $120 million deal. The expectation, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is that the Suns stretch and then waive Paul’s contract to create more cap space over a longer term. However, the 12-time All-Star has made it clear where he wants to play in 2023 and beyond.
NBA News: Chris Paul Announces He Would Like To Stay With Phoenix Suns
According to Hunter Hodies:
Chris Paul’s future with the Phoenix Suns may be a bit murky but that doesn’t mean he wants to leave the organization. He made it clear during an interview on Thursday morning that his preference is to stay with the Suns.
“Absolutely,” Paul said. “That’s why I’m there.” This comes just one week after Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported that the Suns were planning to waive Paul. No move has come as of yet as they’re still exploring other options, including waiving him, for this summer.
A decision will likely have to come before June. 28 as Paul’s $15 million salary becomes guaranteed for this upcoming season.
Will The Phoenix Suns Agree To Keep Chris Paul?
The Phoenix Suns could release him outright and re-sign the 38-year-old to a veteran’s minimum deal. However that amount and the $15.8 million would still tie down their already expensive salary cap.
Phoenix could also release and then stretch the remaining $15.8 million owed on the contract out for equal amounts in each of the next five seasons. The Suns could not re-sign Paul in that case, but stretching would save them the most cap space. This would give them the ability to potentially get under the luxury tax to open up the non-taxpayer midlevel exception of more than $12 million.
One thing to watch for will be if another team offers to pay Paul significantly more money. The veteran is certainly looking for a “win now” opportunity as he has yet to win an NBA Championship in his 18 seasons in the NBA. The Suns might be one of his best shots to accomplish this, however, if another team reaches out that he feels provides a better opportunity he would have to consider.
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1 Comment
Chris Paul is a jinx he well never win sorry but not sorry.