The Phoenix Suns seem ready to move on from Chris Paul, and that has led to an interesting situation in the trade market. Paul is 38 and truly in the twilight of his career, but he still can raise the ceiling of any team he finds himself on.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned as a potential destination, but analyst Colin Cowherd thinks the perfect deal would be with the Boston Celtics for Marcus Smart.
“Send Marcus Smart to Pheonix, Chris Paul to Boston, and here’s why,” Cowherd said on The Herd. “Marcus Smart is exactly what Phoenix needs. Because of Kevin Durant’s history of breaking down, they need a guy that’s younger, and plays 65-70 games along with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton… He’s also tough, he’s physical, I think Phoenix could use some of that.
“Why would Boston want Chris Paul? Hear me out. Who are the Celtics’ two stars? Young, in their prime, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown. They play 70 games, they play a lot of minutes. It’s okay if Chris Paul plays 55 games. It’s okay if he played 30 minutes and not 40. Because they got that covered.
“And this team in Boston doesn’t play with a lot of intention offensively. They don’t have a true quarterback… They just freelance it, they have trouble getting into their offense.”
(starts at 1:04 minutes)
Chris Paul to Boston. Marcus Smart to Phoenix. Who says no?@ColinCowherd makes the case… pic.twitter.com/ZCheMpUIiG
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 8, 2023
Chris Paul’s contract is an interesting new wrinkle. It remains to be seen if the Suns decide to waive him or if the Celtics feel comfortable paying him $60 million over two seasons. Smart is set to earn $60 million over the next three seasons, so the money might just work out with a deal like this.
Does This Trade Make Sense?
Colin Cowherd makes a few great points in this scenario. Marcus Smart is an underrated playmaker, but despite Chris Paul being older, they are not even in the same league. The Celtics could use an offensive playmaker like Paul, who averaged 8.9 assists last season and, despite a decline, scored more than Smart with 13.9 points per game as well.
On the other side, Marcus Smart brings a very real defensive capability to the Suns. He is a former Defensive Player Of The Year and shoots the three well, even if he may be a little streaky. He would be a good role fit alongside Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Ayton if the Suns decide to keep the big man. Both teams could seriously consider a deal of this nature.
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