Chris Paul could reportedly be waived by the Phoenix Suns sooner rather than later. But even if CP3 fails to become a free agent this summer, there are many teams who could trade for him.
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, the Boston Celtics are among the teams who should trade for the 38-year-old. Buckley suggested a hypothetical trade between the two teams that could make CP3 a teammate of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Boston Celtics Receive: Chris Paul
Phoenix Suns Receive: Marcus Smart And Grant Williams (Sign-And-Trade)
“The Boston Celtics have boatloads of talent, tremendous depth, and quite possibly the Association’s best roster on paper,” Buckley wrote. “What they don’t always have, though, is a sense of purpose on the offensive end. They either didn’t have direction, or they lacked the playmakers needed to steer the ship. Either way, their need for a calculated, high-end decision-maker like Chris Paul became glaring.”
Paul may be out of his prime, but he can still run the offense for a team like the Celtics pretty efficiently. As for the move, Boston could trade for Paul before his $30.8 million becomes fully guaranteed on June 28, 2023.
CP3 averaged 13.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 8.9 APG over 59 games during the regular season. Sure, it was a career-low year for Paul in terms of PPG, but scoring won’t be his biggest concern if he joins the Celtics.
The second option to acquire Paul that Buckley suggested is to wait if he gets waived by the Suns. But in that case, CP3 could choose other teams, such as their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Move past the finances, and it’s all too easy to get giddy about Paul’s on-paper fit,” Buckley added. “Getting him to Boston means immediately lightening the offensive load shouldered by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, neither of whom should be a team’s primary playmaker.”
As for the Suns, scoring is not an issue for them. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker averaged 29.1 PPG and 27.8 PPG during the 2022-23 regular season. However, adding Marcus Smart and Grant Williams to the roster would provide them with two elite defensive players.
Smart won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2022 and could become the perfect fit alongside KD and Booker. He averaged 11.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 6.3 APG last season, while Williams posted 8.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.7 APG.
Is Chris Paul Waived By The Phoenix Suns?
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report shocked the NBA community when he announced that the Phoenix Suns had waived veteran point guard Chris Paul.
However, it was late unveiled that Haynes’ report was false. The new head coach of the Suns, Frank Vogel, personally addressed the misunderstanding.
“There was a misunderstanding yesterday. We did not waive Chris,” Vogel said. “But there are ongoing conversations about all of the options to improve the roster, which include trades, a waiving of certain players, and retaining the guys that we have back. Those are just ongoing conversations. And I personally have communicated with Chris and feel strongly about the opportunity to work with him.”
The Suns and Paul are still trying to find common ground to continue the 38-year-old’s stint with the organization. CP3 played a crucial role in leading the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals, albeit blowing a 2-0 lead against the Milwaukee Bucks.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
