Chris Paul Is Perfect for the Phoenix Suns

November 19, 2020

Everyone’s favorite team from bubble basketball, the Phoenix Suns, were the first squad to make a trade when the window officially opened on Monday. Phoenix sent Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and a 2022 first-round pick to Oklahoma City for the point god himself, Chris Paul.

Rumors had been swirling for a while regarding the Suns interest in Paul. Since his resurgence in Oklahoma City this last campaign, the Bucks and Knicks had been leading the way in possible destinations. The Bucks because they simply had to do everything in their power to try and keep Giannis around for the long haul (which they attempted to do in the form of Jrue Holiday), and the Knicks because they are desperate for relevancy.

To put it mildly, there weren’t a lot of destinations that made a ton of sense as a trade route for Paul. As great as his comeback season was, he is a 35-year-old six-foot tall point guard with around 85 million dollars due to him over the next two seasons and rapidly declining athleticism. Throw in his injury history and you don’t exactly have top tier trade bait.

On paper, there were few teams who looked like Paul could be more of a help than hurt to them, at least in order to justify giving up real assets for him. The Suns weren’t one of these teams. The main problem being they are extremely young, with only one player over the age of 27 on the books for the 2020-21 season on the roster prior to the Paul trade (Ricky Rubio, 30). Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the two stars, are even younger, at ages 24 and 22.

Paul just doesn’t fit the Suns timeline. He also probably doesn’t turn them into immediate contenders unless a massive leap is seen from Ayton and Booker finds a way to get even better.

So, why do I say all this, but we both know what the title of this article is?

Because Chris Paul is a teacher, and that is exactly what Phoenix needs. No one thought the Thunder were going to make the playoffs, yet there they were, giving James Harden and Russell Westbrook’s Houston Rockets absolute fits in a series that had no business going seven games. Paul is a pure winner, and he’s going to teach the Suns to how to be winners too.

The Suns have talent, anyone who denies that doesn’t watch the roster close enough. Devin Booker is a star who is underrated because he doesn’t win enough, despite his downright ridiculous scoring ability. Deandre Ayton is a rising star who needs to work on the defensive end of the floor, but will without a doubt be a double-double machine made for the modern NBA. Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges have the makings of perfect role players, built to defend 1-4 and can shoot the rock. And oh yeah, none of the four are older than 24.

That is without even mentioning 20-year-old power-forward Jalen Smith, who they took in last night’s draft. A six-foot ten defensive animal who can spread the floor.

Over the next two seasons (Paul will be almost certainly accepting his 44 million dollar option for the 2021-22 season), all those young guns will get to learn from Paul. They will be able to pick the brain of one of the smartest men to ever set foot on a basketball court. Every single player on the roster will benefit, doesn’t matter position. Chris Paul can tell Cameron Johnson where to be on the court at any given time better than any veteran forward in the league can.

Booker will hone his playmaking abilities and off-ball movement and Ayton will perfect rolls to the rim. Chris Paul will be the commander Phoenix has been so desperately needing.

But it wasn’t just about teaching, you don’t pay 85 million dollars to a coach. Chris Paul still has some left in the tank. On the court, he fits the team like a glove. Rubio could pass the ball, but he could never create like Paul. Devin Booker needed a secondary playmaker. He needed someone else he could trust at any point in the game to pass the ball to and say “go make a winning play.” CP3 is that guy.

Paul allows Booker to stop masquerading so much as a point guard and play his true position as a two-guard. As for Ayton? The Suns are drooling over the potential Chris Paul and former number one overall pick Deandre Ayton have together. A Paul/Ayton pick and roll? Good luck league. Paul turned Blake Griffin into a monster, he’ll do the same for Ayton.

No, Paul probably doesn’t turn this Phoenix Suns team into a contender. As good as I think they will be, other teams in the west just have too much firepower. But he does bring them back to relevancy, which for a Suns team that has starved their fanbase of any success for about a decade, means the world.

It also showed Devin Booker they were trying.

Rumors can be just that: rumors, but when it started to float around that Devin Booker wanted out of Phoenix, more people said “can you blame him?” than “I don’t know how much I believe that.”

Yes, the Suns in theory have Devin Booker locked up for the next four years, but everyone knows it’s a player’s league. If a star wants out, there is a good chance he gets his wish. Booker was tired of the rebuild, tired of “a few more years.” He wants to win now. When your 24-year-old star that has been the first sign of hope for your franchise since Steve Nash says he wants to win, you make a move that says “so do we.”

The Chris Paul move sent that message to Booker.

It’s fair to say Paul didn’t come cheap. Rubio was an established and dependable vet, Oubre was the third-best player on the team, a young guy who could get his own shot and play ferocious defense at times, and a first-round pick still has value. Paul though is a massive upgrade over Rubio on and off the court, Oubre was going to have to be paid handsomely after the 2020-21 season, and if the Suns plans go correctly, their first-round pick won’t have much value in 2022.

In the end, it came down to if the Suns were willing to trade that package for all-around development, the ability to get the absolute most out of the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, a winning culture/return to relevance, and most of all, Devin Booker’s happiness.

Looks like they were.

All contract numbers are courtesy of spotrac