The Phoenix Suns have waived Chris Paul, making him a free agent.
A divorce between Paul and the Suns isn’t necessarily a surprise after ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported May 12 on The Hoop Collective podcast (31:30 mark) that the Suns would “aggressively shop” Paul in trades this summer after a disappointing end to the 2022-23 season.
That they released him and are going to eat the $15.8 million he’s owed in guaranteed money out of his original $30.8 million in base salary, shaving about $15 million in cap space in the process, is where the surprise comes in.
With the Suns aiming to shake things up ahead of the 2023-24 season, Paul was widely viewed as the team’s best trade chip. Now, if the Suns intend to further shake up the roster via trades, Ayton would likely be the player the team would dangle in talks.
For now, Cameron Payne is the front-runner to serve as the team’s starting point guard heading into the 2023-24 season, though the Suns likely have a plan to upgrade the position this summer.
Now, the Suns will only accrue $15.8 million of his salary for the 2023-24 season.
The move comes after a few months of speculation around Paul and what Phoenix wanted to do in the future at their point guard position. The Suns reportedly showed heavy interest in Kyrie Irving both before, during and after the trade deadline.
Still looking to keep their championship window open with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns felt as if change was needed in a few months that has seen nothing short of that – which includes the recent dismissal of head coach Monty Williams.
The Chris Paul era in Phoenix is over.
The Phoenix Suns are reportedly waiving Paul, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.
Paul was due just over $30 million dollars this season, which would have been guaranteed on June 28 if the Suns didn’t waive him prior.
The Suns finished the regular season fourth in the Western Conference with a 45-37 record. They defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs in five games before falling to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals in six games.
Paul, who turned 38 on May 6, missed Phoenix’s final four postseason games while nursing a groin strain.
The Suns acquired Paul and Abdel Nader in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the 2020-21 season in exchange for Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick
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