Will the NBA Finals decide if Chris Paul remains with the Phoenix Suns?
The sun has been shining bright in Phoenix this postseason. But it could soon be setting for one super-sun.
The Phoenix Suns are set to host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday, but there has already been discussion about the future of their future Hall of Fame point guard, Chris Paul.
Paul has been stellar all season, being named an All-Star and second-team All-NBA, and he has taken his game to another level in the playoffs, with averages of 18.1 points and 8.7 assists while shooting 47% from the field, 40.5% from 3-point range and 90.6% from the free-throw line.
With another dominant season under his belt and a playoff run that has taken him to heights never before reached in his stellar career, it's possible that Paul could cash in on one final payday this offseason.
Will it be in Phoenix?
According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Paul is likely to opt out of the last year of his contract — he is due to make $44 million in 2021 — for a new nine-figure deal.
"Paul has a $44.4 million player option, which according to several sources, he intends to decline with hopes of inking a new multiyear deal (perhaps in the $100 million range over three seasons)," Pincus wrote.
While Paul has been dominant in his first season in Phoenix and his play warrants a new contract, he is 36 years old with a lengthy injury history.
But even with those concerns, Chris Broussard believes the Suns will do whatever is in their power to make sure the veteran point guard is back next season and beyond, no matter how much it might hurt in the immediate future.
He explained why on "First Things First."
"I think Phoenix is gonna do everything it can to keep Chris Paul, which was unthinkable going into this season," he said. "No one thought he would opt out of the last year of his deal. … Phoenix has the ultimate trump card in that they can offer Chris a fourth year, and no one else can. … If they win the Finals, it's easier to justify giving a 36-year-old a four-year deal.
"If I lose the Finals, it's harder for me to justify giving him a fourth year. I only wanna give him three either way."
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One of the prime suitors for Paul presumably will be the New York Knicks, who have the cap space to sign Paul to a max deal. In addition, his former agent, Leon Rose, is now the president of the organization.
Still, even with those factors working in their favor, Nick Wright doesn't see the Knicks as a viable option for Paul.
"Let's say the Suns say, ‘You can’t come back.' Why the hell would he pick the Knicks?" he said. "A guy who has been in the Western Conference his whole career, who just got his first real taste of winning, now wants to go to the Knicks? Why?"
Although winning plays a big role, there is recent precedent for star players to depart NBA Finals teams with hopes of building other franchises into contenders.
LeBron James left the Miami Heat in 2014 after four straight trips to the Finals to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he went to the Finals in 2015 before winning Cleveland's first title in 2016.
James then departed Cleveland after four consecutive trips to the Finals as a Cavalier and joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. He won a title in his second season with the Lakers in 2020.
Another example comes from one of James' former teammates. In the middle of his run with the Cavaliers, All-Star Kyrie Irving was reportedly unhappy in Cleveland and was traded to the Boston Celtics after winning the title in 2016 and losing in the Finals in 2017.
Not to mention, in 2019, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant departed the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, respectively, after the two teams faced off in the Finals.
Winning cures a lot, but it might not cure all. Whether it will be enough to keep Paul in Phoenix remains to be seen.
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