Phoenix Suns planning to explore options with Chris Paul
The Phoenix Suns have informed point guard Chris Paul that they will waive him, explore a trade, or discuss other contract options, according to reports Wednesday.
Paul, 37, has spent the past three seasons in Phoenix, helping lead the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals, where they fell in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks.
This past season, Paul averaged a career-low 13.9 points during the regular season, along with 8.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 59 games.
After Phoenix acquired Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets in February, the combination of Paul, Durant, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton were lauded as a unit that could help the Suns return to the Finals. However, after defeating the LA Clippers in five games in the first round of the playoffs, Paul suffered a groin injury in Game 2 of the Suns' second-round series against the Denver Nuggets, and would miss the final four games of the series.
Denver defeated Phoenix in six games.
Paul previously played for the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans), the Clippers, the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is a 12-time All-Star and four-time first-team All-NBA player. The 2006 Rookie of the Year has led the league in steals six times and in assists five times over the course of his 18-year career.
