NBA Rumors- Woj suggests the Wizards are thinking about retaining Chris Paul as their starting point guard
Recent NBA rumors hint at the possibility of Chris Paul potentially suiting up for the Washington Wizards next season. With the former Phoenix Suns guard heading over to the East, ESPN analysts Adrian Wojnarowski shared the prospect of Paul starting for the Wizards.
In a shocking blockbuster trade early in the offseason, the Phoenix Suns traded Paul and Landry Shamet to the Washington Wizards for Bradley Beal.
While there were a few more assets involved in the trade, the Suns certainly didn't hesitate to complete the trade.
Phoenix is a team in a transitional phase. After the sacking of Monty Williams, it was made abundantly clear that the Suns would also part ways with Paul. While the initial notice suggested that Phoenix would waive Paul in the future, the Suns made use of his contract as leverage to pursue Beal instead.
At this juncture, with Paul headed to Washington, the general consensus is that the Wizards are likely to buy out his contract. However, Wojnarowski offered a different perspective on the matter.
While speaking on the topic on SportsCenter, Woj said:
"Washington can imagine a world where they would like Chris Paul to be their point guard this season. They're not trying to be really bad."
He highlighted the possibilities of key players such as Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis also returning to the side. He then added:
"There's still conversations to be had between Chris Paul and the Wizards if they can't find a trade. Once a trade is finalized, if it ends up just being a two-way deal with Washington, they'll certainly start to have those conversations with the Wizards."
"But the Wizards are in no hurry, I’m told, to start discussing the possibility of a contract buyout."
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Should the Wizards keep Chris Paul?
The Washington Wizards are coming off a 35-47 season. Having lost their star player, the Wizards are now a team without an identity. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The addition of a veteran guard in CP3 could work miracles for a young team like Washington. While also considering that Monte Morris was their starting point guard, Paul appears to be an upgrade while also giving them much-needed depth.
However, the notion of keeping the former Suns guard is purely dependent on the direction in which the franchise is headed. If a large-scale rebuild is on the plate, Paul may be best served by looking at options as a free agent.
Read: "In this league anything can happen" - Chris Paul reveals he found out about Suns trading him on a plane to New York