Why the Phoenix Suns should NOT consider bringing back Chris Paul
so NBA free agency is going on right now Whi which by the way slight disclaimer I’m super annoyed that they started doing all of the legal tampering stuff on a Sunday
Yeah
Like especially early enough in the day where it’s okay I guess I just have to spend my entire Sunday paying attention to Sham Shirani’s Twitter account That was mildly annoying
Wondering why they do that Why Sunday
i don’t know
You know why not just today like because then we could just be in all of a frenzy reacting to everything as it comes down Yeah exactly like this little tidbit that we got yesterday or I think a couple of days ago courtesy of Mark Stein and Jake Fischer who do a great job covering the NBA As the Stein Line reported Friday night easy for me to say Chris Paul is determined to play closer to his family in Los Angeles after a successful season in San Antonio Paul of course quarterbacked the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021 his lone finals appearance in 20 NBA seasons And league sources tell the Stein line that a reunion with the Suns is indeed possible if Taius Jones leaves Phoenix in free agency Close quote Chris Paul back in the Valley Are you in or are you out on that idea
oh my goodness Um you know honestly I think that ship has sailed I I am a Chris Paul fan There’s no doubt about that Um yet at the same time you’re establishing a culture here that is going to be built around youth for the most part Now I know that you can say well they’re going to need leadership and you’re right about that They need Devin Booker to be that guy See if you bring in Chris Paul now all of a sudden it’s going to be Chris Paul I’m sorry CP3 is not going to walk in there and say “Okay Book I’m gonna follow you.” He’s not going to do that He’s going to walk in there and he’s going to be Chris Paul And Devin Booker this is something that um I’ve talked about for the last two years with Kevin Durant Book is such a class act such a good dude He respects Kevin Durant so much that he defers to him in my opinion Now that’s just me He defers to him And why wouldn’t you because that’s one of the greatest players in the history of the game And because of that that did not help Devin Booker grow as a leader Going into last season Book was asked the question “What do you want to get better at?” Book said “I leadership.”
Without hesitation
Without hesitation You know what I’m talking about Leadership He’s got to basin This has got to become Devin Booker’s team Book has to embrace it Acknowledge the fact that you know what just leading by example isn’t enough Sometimes you’ve got to walk up and say “What are you doing?” Sometimes you’ve got to hold yourself to a standard you’ll hold nobody else to so that you can walk up and say “What are you doing?” Devin Booker has got to be that guy And everything else has got to be built around him from that point on It’s just wild to me that based on everything you just said it would feel like bringing in Chris Paul would be kind of a pivot as to what the goal of the offseason was And I don’t mean that in terms of Chris Paul’s basketball ability but it’s exactly what you just said Why prioritize Devin Booker being the focus of your team if you’re gonna go out there and bring in a guy who’s I I don’t want to put levels to it but I would say a well more respected NBA player somebody who’s looked at as a leader somebody who’s been a face of a franchise over his many years with the Clippers with the Hornets early on and then to your point when he even came in with the Suns it was he was in charge It was he was the one that was directing He was delegating And I’d find it wild that they would all of a sudden decide to pivot and bring him back in after being so aggressive to go after Bradley Beal just to get rid of him It there is some basketball sense to it I think But I don’t think there’s team Phoenix Suns sense to it and a majority of it is everything that you just said If you want this to be Devin Booker’s team you need to tell him that it’s Devin Booker’s team
Yes
Period
Yes And you need to stop if you’re you need to if you’re his coach Ron Wolfley reporting If you are his coach Devin Booker’s coach you also need to encourage him You need to encourage him
Jordan how are you listening
i’m just saying right now encourage him Devin Booker Devin this needs to be you Now once again you don’t need to go out yell and scream and do and and do stuff out of character You don’t need to do that Book You don’t need to do that Don’t be that guy Accountability is what leadership is all about And Devin is so respected inside that locker room by his teammates because he’s a class act Because he is a good guy because he’s a great player He’s respected in that locker room And because of that he’s looked at as a leader Now all you need to do is embrace that and acknowledge the fact that guys look at you as a leader so that you can hold yourself again to a standard you’ll hold nobody else to And your teammates know it They know that in their heart so that when you do walk up to them and say “Hey man we need more from you You know you’re better than this What are you doing let’s go.” All of a sudden Devin Booker says that to somebody that matters and means something to the guy Accountability is what leadership is built on If for whatever reason they do end up deciding to bring back Chris Paul the other aspect of it is is he going to start he was an 82 game player last year and a starter for San Antonio a year after being the sixth man off the bench for the Warriors like is he really going to accept an opportunity behind basically Devin Booker and Jaylen Green i would expect that those two would be the starting front court at least to begin the season I don’t know By the way do you think that if they bring back Paul would they bring back the center we didn’t even get to that DeAndre
would they bring back this guy
he got to his house and apparently slept on an air mattress for months I’m not I that’s still I’d like the oral history of the DeAndre Aon um uh home buying experience You you you’ve got a max contract like pay for a mattress and then they’ll deliver it You just have to pay him a little bit more
I’m sure that the Pacers or that the Blazers would have outfitted his entire apartment or home or whatever but he talked about how his back was bothering him because he was sleeping on an air mattress And then he missed Wow Did he miss a game or a shooter i was say a game
It was a game He was unable to get to a game because he couldn’t get out of his his dry his house because he was iced in
Yeah for those who missed it maybe the surprise so far of NBA free agency the Portland Trailblazers and DeAndre Aton are agreeing to a contract buyout So uh
more on this as the show unfolds
Oh definitely This is That’s a fascinating one Thanks for watching Wolf and Luke Tap to see more and click the button in the middle to subscribe to Arizona Sports
Ron Wolfley explains why the Phoenix Suns shouldn’t consider a reunion with Chris Paul.
Subscribe to the Arizona Sports daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/3QWcj1x
Read articles from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/
Download the Arizona Sports app: https://arizonasports.com/the-arizona-sports-98-7-fm-app/
Sign up for texts from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/text-alerts/
Listen live to Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/listen-live/
Watch live: arizonasports.com/watch-live
Follow the team: https://bit.ly/3R0PIAJ
ARIZONA SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaSports/
X: https://x.com/azsports
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arizonasports987
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arizsports/
ARIZONA SPORTS PODCASTS: https://arizonasports.com/category/podcasts/
Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports
13 Comments
Dude the suns can’t even afford me. Who are they gonna target?
Good points. But maybe they would allow CP3 to lead the new bench players and let Booker be the leader with the starting players since those are experienced players.
Cp3 should stay away from phx. They had no idea how to use him
Chris Paul does Not Want to Play in PHX Been there Done That. We Don't Need Him.
Oh Hell no !! CP3 ! Again ? I've seen that show before ! He Crapped out in the playoffs ! And NO FRICKIN LAZY ASS Deandre Ayton !!!!!
Devin Booker has never won a meaningful basketball game in his life.
Who stopped Book to be that in the past? No one can just gift you that role, you guys ask the owner and the coach of the suns to gift him that role.
He needs to step up and get that leadership role himself
Yes he is good but slows the whole game down
my boy mitch!
They traded away CP3 because he was expensive and not playing to that level. If they brought him back it would be as a vet minimum player to come off the bench and help develop our rookies. Is there a better vet min player available for that role?
I was dead set against CP3.
However, at a league minimum, I take him at point, back up point, or assistant coach.
This is such an L take. Bickley is acting like we’re giving CP3 a Paul George-level deal. Chris Paul isn’t toxic in the locker room, actually quite the opposite. We’ve got three rookies and young core pieces in Jalen Green and Mark WIlliams who could really benefit from his leadership. He’s a future coach for a reason; most long-time players who become great coaches were known for being locker room guys. Signing him on a vet minimum is a win, especially since he won’t be playing heavy minutes.
We absolutely do not need CP3. Hard pass