The recent Bradley Beal blockbuster between the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards has caught many by surprise. However, no one's response to the transaction has been as publicized as Chris Paul's.
Part of the Beal deal, the veteran guard was shipped out of Arizona and, as of this writing, is expected to be sent to D.C. Since news broke on Sunday evening, Paul has been rather vocal about how he found out about the trade, noting that he initially received text messages from friends and family rather than phone calls from team management.
Though such a situation certainly seems uncomfortable, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes the point guard has been too vocal about his displeasure with how things went down, and stated on a recent episode of First Take that he feels Paul is playing the role of victim.
“I'm tired of hearing, when you're doing these interviews, about how your kids are receiving text messages or somebody saw something that was said about you…wait a minute. When people talk about Chris Paul, they talk about one of the greatest point guards to have ever played this game. They talk about a floor general, a consummate leader, an individual who is a role model on and off the court. What is all of this nonsense about you being victimized and coming across like, ‘Oh my goodness, your kids are seeing it.' So what,” Smith said of Chris Paul. “Stop playing the role of victim, because it's not true.”
Stephen A. would also question the validity of Chris Paul's recent statements saying “he didn't know about the trade,” stating: “Yes you did because the fact of the matter is you get paid $30.8 million. It wasn't fully guaranteed, only $15 million of it was guaranteed but in order for the trade to go through your salary had to be guaranteed, so you got the $30.8 million. You didn't know that? That was a surprise to you? Stop it!”
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