Gary Sheffield, Jr
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It looks like Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are finally looking to compete. They’re now in talks with the Oklahoma City Thunder to deal for Chris Paul. Suns owner Robert Sarver has failed to acquire an NBA point guard in the past, but a trade for CP3 remedies that. If Phoenix can trade for Paul without getting fleeced in the deal, they would be a lock for the 2021 playoffs.
Suns have had discussions with the Thunder about acquiring Chris Paul, per @WindhorstESPN, @TimBontemps pic.twitter.com/NPUASML43j
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 11, 2020
Just six years ago, the Suns had a three-headed rotation of point guards that no one could understand. Now, they don’t have a single point guard that can make simple passes to Devin Booker. The 23-year-old shooting guard averaged 26.6 points/game in 2020, and if Paul joins him, Booker will be a walking bucket.
Sure, Chris Paul is 35-years-old, which makes the trade somewhat of a risk for Phoenix, but what do they have to lose? Draft capital? The Suns haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010. Enough is enough. At some point, Suns general manager James Jones will need to take a risk. The moment is now.
Chris Paul in 2 of the last 3 years❗️
— 🌟 (@LALeBron23) November 7, 2020
2018
• 50-5 record when CP3, Harden, and Clint played
• Up 3-2 on the KD Warriors
2020
• 0.2% chance to make the playoffs
• Had OKC as the 4 seed as the lone All-Star
• Took the Rockets to 7pic.twitter.com/nHdjkJkDxX
Chris Paul’s fit in Phoenix
Remember when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Chris Paul, and everyone complained that he wouldn’t impact a “rebuilding team?” He ended up leading young players barely old enough for a cocktail to the fifth seed in the Western Conference. What’s Paul doing when he pairs up with one of the games best scorers in Devin Booker? Carnage.
It feels like a long time ago, but the bubble Phoenix Suns were no fluke. When they arrived to Orlando’s Disney World bubble, Devin Booker established himself as an impact player who could win. The addition of Chris Paul is yet another “winning” piece that will surely solidify a professional culture.
CP3’s one- or two-year window in Phoenix will show the free agent point guards in the years to come that they can plug themselves into a winning franchise. James Jones knows that if they haven’t had much success courting superstars to Phoenix in the past, trades are the only way they can improve this roster.
What’s the cost?
Kelly Oubre Jr. is likely the headliner coming out of Phoenix, along with some draft assets. Phoenix really shouldn’t care about losing draft picks at this point. If it’s been a decade since a playoff run, what’s another 20-year-old going to do to help a team that needs to win now?
There’s no telling if this NBA rumor of Chris Paul to Phoenix will actually get done, but it should if the Suns have the final say. He would finally unlock the full potential of Devin Booker and help Phoenix convince their young star to stay long-term.
15 years hasn’t won a thing
Yes, but he is an upgrade for Phoenix.
An upgrade would be an understatement. They would now have two all-star level players. That’s more than 90% of the teams in this league can say. They immediately become a playoff team.
Failing to win an NBA title does not mean a player isn’t worth trading for. Allen Iverson never won a title and you would trade for him before you would trade for Fred VanVleet in a heartbeat. Winning championships is a team accomplishment. Chris Paul helps the Suns make it to the playoffs and that’s what this team needs.
Just a fact
That they would be a playoff team? A fact for sure.