The Phoenix Suns are struggling to maintain power.
According to ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, Phoenix met and talked with Paul on the 7th (Korean time).메이저사이트
Phoenix is currently struggling with what to do with Chris Paul (guard, 183cm, 79kg) and has been confirmed to be open to trading Paul or Deandre Ayton.
Phoenix boosted their power significantly last season when they brought in Kevin Durant ahead of the trade deadline. With Devin Booker at the head, they did not let Paul and Ayton go and recruited Durant to build a powerful force. However, Phoenix did not come close to winning. For the second year in a row, they had to suffer the loss of being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Phoenix is building a powerful one-two punch with Durant and Booker, so the championship challenge is valid in the upcoming 2023-2024 season. However, with so many financial outlays, Phoenix is hitting the calculator in many ways. Accordingly, Phoenix is known to be considering the release of Paul, whose salary is partially guaranteed next season.
Paul hopes to stay, but Phoenix is contemplating a trade or release. If you trade, you can take Paul’s entire contract off. However, in reality, trading is not easy. Because next season’s salary is considerable. Even if the salary cap makes a deal to the remaining team, Phoenix has nothing to take. It is not easy to trade for a team that is equipped with power because the total annual salary is high.
If they break up in reality, release is likely. If you do a general release, you only have to pay the first guaranteed amount ($15.8 million). You can re-contract. If Paul accepts a contract at or above the minimum salary, there is no reason for Phoenix not to proceed with the contract. However, if the breakup proceeds, it is questionable whether Paul will renew his contract with Phoenix.
If payment is suspended, Phoenix cannot recapture Paul. Instead, since salaries for the 2023-2024 season are not guaranteed, $15.8 million will be paid in installments over three years, and about $5 million will be included in the salary cap over three seasons. It’s by no means a small amount, but it could reduce the amount of spending if Phoenix sent Paul through the process. It is also possible to recruit outsiders by using the intermediate level exception clause.
Even if Phoenix, which already has a powerful one-two punch, has Paul, the value of using it is not the same as before. In fact, after Durant joined, Paul mostly stayed on the baseline more frequently. He might be better off using a quasi-class player with proven durability if given the role. It is understandable that Phoenix is troubled over and over again.
In addition, if you add helpers to help them from the outside through the exception clause, Phoenix can have a more solid composition. Assuming they let Paul go, he’s not expected to be traded to Ayton. However, it is too early to say for sure, as Phoenix is examining many possibilities. As a result, it is assumed that Paul’s future will be left open to various possibilities.
Meanwhile, Paul is still known to prefer staying in Phoenix. He seems content to continue his playing career at Phoenix and, above all, wants to play for a club that’s looking for a big deal. However, in this playoff, it has been confirmed that he is not free from injuries when it is important without fail, such as leaving the front line due to injury, so Phoenix is weighing whether to release it or not.
