In a shocking turn of events, the Phoenix Suns have met with Chris Paul and informed the veteran point guard that he could be waived before a guaranteed salary clause in his contract triggers on June 28th. Paul, who turned 38 earlier this month, has been in Phoenix since 2020. He was a trade acquisition from the Thunder. However, he has turned into a core piece for Phoenix.
However, the Suns are currently in the midst of a roster dilemma, with a number of weighty contracts set to drag the franchise into cap hell. Unfortunately, this is something of the franchise’s own doing. The team made a number of blockbuster trades as they went all-in on winning in 2023. Next year, Paul is owed $30.8 million. However, he is only owed $15.8 million if he can be removed from the roster before June 28th.
Suns Meeting With Paul
According to sources who spoke with ESPN, the Suns met with Paul on June 7. This meeting was to discuss his future with the team. As part of those discussions, the team openly told Paul he could be waived. However, per ESPN, “The Suns insist that they’re still working through several possibilities on Paul’s future.” As recently as last week, ESPN‘s Tim McMahon reported that Paul’s place on the team was reportedly safe. Furthermore, center DeAndre Ayton was believed to be the main trade piece for the Suns.
As it stands, the Suns are currently $74 million over the NBA salary cap heading into next season. It’s quite possible, given that this may necessitate the trading/waiving of Paul, Ayton, and other key contributors, that the Suns’ championship window has closed for the moment. However. Paul is reportedly eager to stay with the Suns and his waiving is not yet confirmed. Despite this, it does appear that being waived, unless an equitable trade can be found, is the most likely outcome. Last season, Paul put up 13.9 points per game and 8.9 assists (4th highest in the NBA). However, he was largely unavailable during the playoffs due to a recurring late-season injury. This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates here at HotNewHipHop.
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