Chris Paul is no stranger to being traded, as the 12-time All-Star point guard has now been dealt five times in his Hall of Fame career. Most recently, Paul has found himself as the centerpiece of the Suns’ latest attempt to add a superstar to their roster, sending him and Landry Shamet out for Bradley Beal.
While Paul was well aware he was potentially getting traded, as there were reports weeks ago that he and the Suns had met to discuss his future and the potential for him to either be waived or traded before his contract’s guarantee date, he apparently wasn’t very up to date on the Beal trade talks. On Monday, Paul had a pre-scheduled appearance on Good Morning America in New York that fell on the somewhat awkward day following the Beal trade.
Michael Strahan naturally asked him about his thoughts on it, with Paul saying he found out about it while he was flying across the country for the sitdown, before noting it’s just part of being in the NBA.
Chris Paul says he found out he was traded on a flight to NY for his @GMA appearance: “In this league, anything can happen. You just figure out what’s next.” This was prescheduled to promote his new book, Sixty-One. pic.twitter.com/pFiwsfCmww
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 19, 2023
Part of what makes this particular trade unique for Paul is, there’s a good chance he’s headed to a third team that, as of this moment, we don’t know about. It’s possible the trade won’t be finalized for some time as the Wizards look to re-route Paul somewhere else, with the potential for a reunion between Paul and the Clippers. For now, Paul will promote his book and continue with his offseason, waiting to learn exactly where he’ll spend next season in the process.