Many teams will enter the NBA offseason with questions regarding what their roster will look like, but the Phoenix Suns have some major decisions to make regarding the future of veteran point guard Chris Paul.
Losing to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals this season, Paul missed the team's final four games due to a groin strain and he recently turned 38-years-old last week. While he is certainly not to blame for the team's lack of success this year, Paul's contract is worrisome for the Suns. This is why many around the league anticipate Phoenix exploring trade opportunities involving the 12-time All-Star guard this offseason.
Appearing on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast recently, ESPN's Tim MacMahon discussed Paul's future with the Suns and said he expects the veteran to suit up for a different team next season.
“We can talk about a whole bunch of different people who might not be back here next year,” MacMahon stated. “I would certainly anticipate they aggressively shop Chris Paul before that June 28 deadline that would guarantee his salary from $15.8 [million] to $30.8 [million]. I think it is pretty likely that Chris Paul is elsewhere next year.”
In regards to Paul's contract, his deal for the 2023-24 season is partially-guaranteed for $15.8 million and is not fully guaranteed until June 28. At that point, assuming Paul is still on the Suns' or another team's roster, his contract will become fully guaranteed for $30.8 million with no exceptions. This is an extremely large number for a team to have invested in a 38-year-old guard who only played in 59 games regular season games this year due to injuries.
Not to mention, the Suns are already committed to nearly $84 million with just the contracts of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Those two combined are taking up about 62 percent of the team's total cap for next season already, which is one of the main reasons why the Suns will be looking to make some cost-saving moves in the offseason.
When he was on the floor, Chris Paul was effective this season, averaging 13.9 points, 8.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 44.0 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three-point range. However, adding more depth and finding younger pieces to put around Booker and Durant seems like the more likely option at this time, especially following the team's early exit from the postseason.
Trading for Durant in the middle of the season, the Suns expected to win the Western Conference and compete for a title. Not even making the Western Conference Finals this season, change is on the horizon for this franchise and the first massive roster decision they decide to make could very much begin with Paul's departure. Finding a trade partner for the veteran guard could be another roadblock for the Suns to try and navigate though, as every team will be trying to understand the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the offseason and how to navigate the salaries on their roster.
Following the terms of his contract for the 2023-24 season, Paul has one more year left on his deal before becoming a free agent in 2025. His deal for the 2024-25 season is non-guaranteed, but becomes fully guaranteed if not waived by June 28, 2024. What the Suns decide to do with Chris Paul this offseason will have a major impact on the direction of this franchise.
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