NBA Free Agency starts in a matter of days and one of the biggest presumed free agents on the board is Chris Paul. Will he stay in Phoenix, or is there a chance he goes elsewhere in search of a ring?
Chris Paul is still probably not thinking too much about free agency, but he has to make a decision on his contract by August 1. He can choose to opt into his deal for one more year or test the free agent waters.
We don’t need to revisit the Suns’ 2-0 series lead evaporating before our very eyes, but the truth is, the Suns are better positioned than most teams who made deep playoff runs to be back in the conference or NBA Finals.
Other than Paul and Cameron Payne, the rest of the Suns’ core are all signed for next season. If they can bring back Payne and Paul while adding a few low-cost veterans, they could make it through the West again. Nothing is guaranteed and Paul may never sniff the Finals again, but the Suns present the best chance for him to be back, especially as a 36-year-old. Take it into consideration for your NBA odds.
The Lakers have reportedly been offering Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to anyone and everyone around the league, so if the Suns aren’t interested in a sign and trade (which they shouldn’t be) for those two guys, LA doesn’t have the assets because they would need to sign Paul via a sign and trade.
That leaves only a few teams. The Mavericks would be intriguing but the real other contenders to sign Paul should be the Knicks. New York is further away than the Suns or Mavs from winning a title, but they have a lot of money to spend, and they should have some appeal to Paul for one simple reason: they are his all-in move.
Paul has been dealt some bad hands in his career, but winning a title in New York would cement his legacy in the NBA and erase all the other failures in the postseason.
Let’s be frank here for a second for our NBA picks. Paul just made it further with the Suns than he has with any other team in his career. There won’t be many opportunities like this left and it’s probably wise for him to stay put.
The Suns can offer him a lot of money to stay with them and they probably offer the largest combination of Finals potential and money in his pocket.
Plus, a move to the Lakers or Knicks or another contender would look good on paper as far as winning a ring and the magnitude it would be around the league, but the Suns are the best option for Paul right now in the latter years of his career. They say the desert heat is good for old bones!
Top sportsbooks expect him to opt-out of his player option before August 1 and work out a new contract to stay in Phoenix for the next two or three seasons.