The Phoenix Suns have key decisions to make this offseason.
One of them is the future of Chris Paul. He is owed $15.8 million and can be waived, stretched or traded, reports from The Athletic's Shams Charania and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski indicated. The Suns can also fully guarantee his salary of $30.8 million.
Paul is 38 years old and last season had the lowest usage rate (19.2) of his career. His role is seemingly limited for his future with the Suns, who have two superstars, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, they want to build around.
Yahoo! Sports' Jake Fischer had a story on the Suns' reported discussions with Paul around his future. He mentioned guards the Suns could pursue to replace Paul.
Here is a breakdown.
Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks
Quickley is reportedly held in high regard by the Suns.
He was selected with the No. 25 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Knicks. He finished his third season with New York and averaged a career-best 14.9 points while playing in all but one regular-season game.
The Suns would have to trade for Quickley. He is entering the final year of his contract and is extension-eligible.
He is an aggressive guard who would add pace to the Suns' offense.
Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
Pritchard is a 25-year-old guard who played sparingly in the 2023 playoffs.
But he has some attributes the Suns covet.
He is a championship player. Pritchard was an effective leader at Oregon, leading the Ducks in all-time wins (105) by a player. He helped lead Oregon to the 2017 Final Four and was named Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year in 2019-20.
He is a smart player who knows the game at an elevated degree. He is also a scrappy player, something Suns coach Frank Vogel said he needs this season.
Pritchard is entering the final year of his contract. The Suns could target him and add him to their defensive-minded system.
Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings
Mitchell is a national championship player, having won at Baylor in 2021.
He was also the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year that season. He fits the mold for what the Suns are looking for under Vogel.
The Kings surprisingly took Mitchell when they had guards De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton was traded to Indiana in the 2021-22 season, opening somewhat of a bigger role for Mitchell.
The second-year guard averaged 5.6 points on 18.0 minutes per game for the Kings this season. In 2021-22, he averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 75 games played (19 starts).
He is entering the second-to-last year on his rookie deal.
Monte Morris, Washington Wizards
Morris finished his sixth NBA season and averaged a career-best 5.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds with the Wizards.
He previously was with the Denver Nuggets. In 2021-22, he averaged a career-best 12.6 points and started 74 of 75 games.
Morris has a blend of experience and youthful energy. He has played in the playoffs, including the Nuggets' 2020 Western Conference Finals run.
He had his best postseason in 2022, averaging 14.0 points on 49 percent shooting (42.3 percent from three) in the Nuggets' five games.
He is owed $9,800,926 this season. The Suns could target him in a trade.
Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat
Fischer said the Suns are monitoring Vincent, who is having a very superb playoff run with the Miami Heat.
He is averaging 16.3 points on 47.7 percent shooting (45.5 percent from three) in three NBA Finals games. Vincent scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting with three assists in the Heat's 111-108 Game 2 win.
He has a lot of momentum right now. He will be sought after by many teams as an unrestricted free agent.
The Suns' culture is looking to be similar to that of the Heat, who have great conditioning and coaching in place. Phoenix wants to be a scrappy group that plays harder than its opponent, according to Vogel.
Vincent could fit in to what the Suns are doing. He will just be sought after by a lot of teams.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
The Suns looked to acquire Irving at the trade deadline. According to Fischer, they have not given up hope on acquiring Irving.
He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the Mavericks are unlikely to put him in a sign-and-trade, according to Fischer.
However, Irving seems to be close with Kevin Durant, and they would have an opportunity to create a star trio with Devin Booker.
The Suns need to fill out their roster, so this would limit their options for their bench. But if they go this route, they have a special chance to create a winning team.
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