The Phoenix Suns are contemplating a trade for Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul, according to Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
The sides have had “ongoing” discussions, though they are not yet close to a deal, per ESPN.
Paul, 35, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career — leading the Thunder to an inspirational run to the playoffs in a season in which everyone assumed they would tank.
But Thunder general manager Sam Presti is expected to tinker with the roster this offseason and word is, he is looking to move Paul for younger players and/or draft picks.
Meanwhile, the Suns are looking to take the next step after coming close to a playoff berth themselves, showing major upside by winning each of their final eight games, held on the Disney campus. Adding a veteran such as Paul to lineup with Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Deandre Ayton would undoubtedly assist a push for the postseason.
Paul has also been linked to the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks, among a few others.
The difficulty in acquiring Paul is the fact he has two years and more than $88 million left on his contract. But as ESPN noted, the Suns could have more than $120 million in available cap space, meaning they could trade for Paul and still have plenty of money left over for free agency.
The NBA is expected to lift the moratorium on trades by the start of next week, with free agency negotiations set to begin Nov. 20. While trades can’t be completed yet, they can be agreed on and then made official once the moratorium is lifted.
