NBA Rumors: Could Chris Paul join Victor Wembanyama on Spurs?
'Point God' Chris Paul has found himself in headlines this week after conflicting reports emerged about the Phoenix Suns waiving the future Hall of Famer. Initially, it sounded like Paul had been waived, with the Suns' intentions being to make an offseason move to fill the role.
Follow-up reports then emerged that the franchise had met with Paul, and were planning to either re-sign him or work to find a trade that both sides saw fit. With plenty of uncertainty regarding the situation, wild hypotheticals have continued to fly, including the idea of Paul joining Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
Given that Chris Paul could find himself as a free agent if the Suns were to in fact waive him, it's certainly a possibility. The veteran guard could take a pay cut to play under Gregg Popovich and alongside Wembanyama. He could also take a pay cut to join the LA Lakers.
When it comes to a sign-and-trade, something the Suns have left on the table, something could come to fruition, however, it seems unlikely. Despite that, fans have continued to theorize about what a duo of Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama could look like.
As ClutchPoints wrote on Twitter:
"GMs believe Wembanyama can be the best player in the world by 22 years old. When San Antonio won the Wembanyama lottery, his first interview ended with 'I want to win a ring ASAP!' And in an organization like the Spurs with a coach like Gregg Popovich, who are we to question it?
"But something is missing. If they want Wembanyama to reach his 'LeBron potential', he needs a mentor. An extension of Coach Pop on the court. A high-IQ veteran who knows how to get to the playoffs. A Point God."
Every fan wants to see Chris Paul go to a contender. And he probably will. But we have a more fun idea.
More fun than the Banana Boat Lakers or Homecoming Clippers. And this idea could still lead to a championship.
JOIN. WEMBY.
We expect LeBron-level things out of Victor… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/jqfiCAp2pc
Looking at Chris Paul's future, and potential resolutions to current situation
Although there are many different resolutions that can be reached between the Suns and Chris Paul, it seems one of two things is likely to happen. The first is that the team decides it can't fill his role on the open market, and as a result re-signs him on a cheaper contract.
Given that Paul has expressed a desire to play alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, it seems like he would prefer to stay. Given that he has shown he can continue to impact winning at the highest level, and can fill the role of a facilitator for both Booker and Durant, he has upside.
(Suggested Reading: Brian Windhorst predicts Chris Paul's next move)
Despite that, the Suns could take their chances and work a sign-and-trade with another team that would get Paul's $30.8 million-a-year contract off the books. Depending on who the team lands, it could get younger with the move, building toward a long-term future given the difference in age between Booker and Paul.
While the team could waive Paul outright, it seems unlikely that it would be interested in taking its chances on the open market. With the possibility of getting another piece back, it seems to be much more likely that the team pursues a trade in the event it decides to move on from CP3.
With that being said, should he hit the open market, there's plenty of interested teams.