Chris Paul is joining the Phoenix Suns after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was also apparently interested in the New York Knicks.

Matt Barnes, who played with Paul on the Los Angeles Clippers, said that Paul lost interest in joining the Knicks due to the lack of fans that would be at Madison Square Garden.

“We were discussing like, ‘Hey, where are you going to go?’” Barnes told Sirius XM NBA radio, via the New York Daily News. “And he was saying the Knicks were an option but, you know, if he was going to New York he wanted the full Knick experience, meaning he wanted the fans, he wanted the essence, he wanted the ambiance of that Madison Square Garden crowd. And going there now, you know, we don’t know if that crowd will ever be back.”

After helping the Thunder exceed expectations in 2019-2020, Paul was always going to be a sought after player this offseason. On the first day the NBA allowed trades to transpire, Paul was traded to the Suns, pairing him with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton.

While the Knicks would certainly benefit from adding Chris Paul, it's doubtful if they'd be able to surround him with talent that would enable him to at least compete in the playoffs. Of course, if what Barnes said is true, the lack of fans due to COVID-19 was also a factor for CP3 in not pursuing a trade to the Big Apple franchise.

It remains to be seen what moves the Knicks will make in free agency, although they have been linked with wantaway star Russell Westbrook recently. As for Chris Paul and the Suns, they are expected to make some more key roster decisions in order to field a competitive team for the 2020-21 campaign.