Prior to making the move to the Phoenix Suns in the offseason, Chris Paul was also linked to a number of other teams in the NBA. This included the New York Knicks, who at that time, were looking to upgrade their squad for the upcoming campaign.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau recently opened up about the Knicks having a run at Paul during the offseason and the 63-year-old shot-caller presented a hilarious theory as to why he believes CP3 snubbed New York (h/t Knicks Videos on Twitter):
Coach Thibs joked about the fact that the Knicks hired Leon Rose as the new team president last year:
“I don't think he liked the president here,” Thibodeau said. “… You'd have to ask him what came down to his decision. Chris is a very bright, thoughtful guy. He's gonna think things through.”
Thibodeau did say he was kidding when he brought Leon Rose into the conversation. Prior to being named as the top executive in New York, Rose was a sports agent, and Chris Paul was actually one of his long-time clients. Nevertheless, not even their relationship was enough to convince Paul to join the Knicks.
As Thibs expressed in his statement above, CP3 is at a point in his career that he wants to be in a winning position. This is exactly why he joined the Suns, and they have indeed made their mark in the league this season. The Knicks haven't been too bad themselves this term, and they've actually been one of the biggest surprise packages of the campaign. With the benefit of hindsight, I guess we can say that everything worked out for all parties involved.