Chris Paul will be a free agent this summer. Moments ago, Chris Haynes reported that Phoenix is waiving the All-Star point guard.
The Suns’ decision to part ways with Paul makes sense. They would have to fully guarantee his $30.8 million salary if he was still on the roster by June 28.
Since the Suns have waived Paul, they’ll only owe the future Hall of Famer $15.8 million for the 2023-24 season.
Now that Paul is about to hit the open market, let’s take a look at some potential landing spots.
Boston Celtics
There’s so much talk surrounding the Celtics’ dynamic duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Instead of splitting them up, the front office in Boston should think about adding a proven leader in Chris Paul.
Not only would Paul give the Celtics a true floor general, he’d take some pressure off a relatively mediocre ball-handler in Brown.
Los Angeles Lakers
This is probably a long shot, but LeBron James has a very close relationship with Chris Paul. If the Lakers don’t want to re-sign D’Angelo Russell or pursue Kyrie Irving, why not take a chance on CP3?
At the very least, Paul could run the Lakers’ offense while James is on the bench. He’d also give Darvin Ham’s squad a consistent shooter from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles Clippers
Russell Westbrook had some nice moments with the Clippers to end the 2022-23 season, but the front office may want a better shooter at the point guard spot. If that’s the case, a reunion with Chris Paul could work.
For starters, Paul wouldn’t be asked to lead the Clippers’ offense. That responsibility would be shared by Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Additionally, there’s familiarity with the organization and the way they operate. And of course, it also helps that Los Angeles has the pieces in place to contend in the Western Conference.