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Chris Paul has helped transform the Phoenix Suns into a legitimate contender this season. After their run in the bubble last year, Paul's arrival via trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder pushed the Suns to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
While Paul's mind is on the present, it's only natural to look to the future and consider what he might do in the offseason. The Point God has a $44.2 million player option he could decline in order to get a new deal with the Suns or even go elsewhere. There's also the possibility of an extension with Phoenix.
It's unclear what CP3 will do with the option, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says “it's hard” to envision him going anywhere else.
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“It certainly seems to me it's hard to see him go somewhere else,” said Adrian Wojnarowski.
“He wanted to be there. He had to convince Phoenix a little bit that they were ready for him.”
Paul helped orchestrate the trade to the Suns, and he has to be feeling good how things have played out playing alongside a terrific young core featuring Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges, among others. Phoenix will face a tough matchup in the first round of the playoffs, though, with either the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors on deck.
Would a first-round exit get Paul to look elsewhere? It still seems unlikely given what the Suns have in place, though Woj notes the veteran point guard could use the New York Knicks as a “leverage point” in negotiations with Phoenix. The Knicks will have a lot of cap space and have Paul's former agent in Leon Rose as team president.
There's little reason to expect Chris Paul anywhere but Phoenix next season, but that doesn't mean this offseason might not have a little drama involving him. We'll see how things play out.
