NBANews

Suns’ Chris Paul Teases Next Move After Lakers Trade Rumors

Suns’ Chris Paul Teases Next Move After Lakers Trade Rumors

The Phoenix Suns ultimately came up short in the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks, falling 4-2 in their best-of-seven series.

By any objective measure Chris Paul was the biggest difference-maker for the Suns from start to finish. In the regular season, he averaged 16.4 points on nearly 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from beyond the arc, along with 8.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per outing. In the playoffs, those numbers turned into 19.2 points on the same field goal percentage and 44.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc, along with 8.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per outing.

Even in the Finals, where Paul objectively didn’t feel like a difference-maker for the majority of Phoenix’s losses against Milwaukee, he still averaged 21.8 points on 55 percent shooting from the field and 52.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc, along with 8.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds per outing.

Needless to say, Paul’s stock rose tremendously heading into the offseason.

The 36-year-old is currently entering the final year of his contract and is set to earn $44.2 million in 2021-22. Paul, however, wants a new deal that will pay him less annually – but over multiple years.

Over the past few weeks, Paul has been linked to a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. The chatter got so loud that even LeBron James has commented on it.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that move will come to fruition. On Tuesday, Paul sent out a tweet that signaled pretty clearly his intention to remain with the Suns.

With Paul effectively off the board, the Suns can now mentally prepare to go into next season with a roster that came within two games of winning a title this past year.

The Lakers, meanwhile, will likely switch their attention to finalizing a deal for Washington Wizard star Russell Westbrook.

Which team will ultimately win the West in 2021-22? Time will tell.

Related: What Lakers Can Offer Blazers For Damian Lillard

Charles Kruger

Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7's go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.

Leave a Reply

Back to top button