The Phoenix Suns Just Became Playoff Contenders After Acquiring a 10-Time All-Star
The Phoenix Suns just became playoff contenders for the upcoming season. Phoenix agreed on a deal to acquire All-Star Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder; sources told Adrian Wojnarowski.
Multiple players were involved in the deal, and now Paul will be paired with another All-Star in Devin Booker. With Paul’s addition, the Suns are now a team to be on the lookout for in the Western Conference.
Chris Paul has developed into a top point guard in the league
When Paul entered the NBA, he was determined to become a star. He began his career in 2005 playing for the New Orleans Hornets. Paul had an impressive rookie season as he won the Rookie of the Year award. He averaged 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 steals. The point guard immediately impacted the league, and he’s the type of player that makes everyone around him better. He possessed that trait when he first entered the league, and that’s something he continues to do.
Paul made a name for himself during his time with the Hornets. He spent his first six seasons with the Hornets, and he helped lead the team to three playoff appearances. After his career with the Hornets ended, Paul was traded to the LA Clippers in 2011. The Clippers were a team that struggled in previous years, and when Paul joined the team, he helped the Clippers become a playoff-contending team. Paul played for the Clippers for six seasons, and they advanced to the playoffs.
After helping the Clippers become a top team in the NBA, Paul was on the move yet again. The Clippers traded Paul to the Houston Rockets, and he teamed up with James Harden. During the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the Rockets were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history. The Rockets advanced to the Western Conference Finals and took on the Golden State Warriors. Paul helped the Rockets take a 3-2 lead in the series before going down with an injury, and he was forced to miss Game 6 and 7. The Rockets could have advanced to the NBA Finals if he wasn’t hurt.
Chris Paul continued to play at a high-level with the Thunder
After two seasons with the Rockets, Paul was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Paul was Russell Westbrook’s replacement, and many thought that the Thunder were not going to have a successful 2019-20 season. But Paul silenced all the doubters and helped lead the Thunder to the playoffs. The Thunder went into the playoffs as the No. 5 seed and took on the Rockets in the first round.
It was an exciting and hard-fought series as Paul did his best to try and lead the Thunder past the Rockets. Houston ended up winning in seven games, and Paul put together an impressive performance during the series. At 35, Paul continued to show why he’s one of the top point guards in the league, and he showed his true leadership abilities during his time with the Thunder.
Chris Paul is a significant boost to the Phoenix Suns
The Suns ended the 2019-20 season on a strong note. Though the Suns did not make the playoffs, they were the only team in the NBA bubble to finish with an undefeated record, going 8-0. Their performance in the bubble caught a lot of people’s attention, and there was a lot of talk about how much talent the Suns had. Now, they just added an elite veteran guard in Chris Paul.
According to ESPN, the Suns received Paul and Abdel Nader for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and a 2022 first-round pick. The Suns will have one of the best backcourts in the league with Paul and Devin Booker. Paul’s leadership ability will help the Suns out in a big way. When you have a facilitator like Paul, that takes the pressure off of Booker. The Suns will be a team to watch out for in the Western Conference.
