Just because the Phoenix Suns are unwilling to pick up the team option on Chris Paul's $30.8 million contract for 2023-24 hardly means they don't want him back in the desert. If the future Hall-of-Famer ultimately hits the open market, though, it seems highly unlikely he'd re-sign with the Suns for pennies on the dollar.

Paul reportedly has little interest in re-joining Phoenix via free agency on a one-year deal worth the veteran's minimum.

“This much seems certain: Paul will have no shortage of suitors if he makes it to free agency — either after a trade or if the Suns are the ones that end up letting the 38-year-old go. The Suns would want Paul to re-sign with them on a veteran minimum deal if they do release him, but Haynes has reported that Paul is not interested in a one-year minimum deal,” league insider Marc Stein wrote in his Sunday newsletter.

Paul and Suns management reportedly met last week to discuss his future with the franchise. Though Phoenix is exploring trade possibilities for the 18-year veteran, the team's primary objective is simply cutting ties with Paul before June 28th—the day his exorbitant salary for next season becomes fully guaranteed—to increase its spending flexibility this summer.

Paul will receive $15.8 million from the Suns in 2023-24 no matter how they proceed with his exit. Though initial reports indicated he'd be willing to return to Phoenix in free agency, the notion that Paul has no plans to play on a minimum deal next season comes as little surprise, curtailing his list of potential suitors.

Chris Paul would reportedly consider the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks in addition to the Suns if he hits free agency. The Warriors and Clippers, both set to be over the league's new second luxury tax apron in 2023-24, are limited to handing out minimum contracts this offseason, while the Lakers, Knicks and Suns will have the taxpayer's or non-taxpayer's mid-level exceptions to lure players from the open market.