Chris Paul turned some heads when he joined the Phoenix Suns last offseason via a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. While the Suns were one of the best stories of the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, Paul was viewed as someone who wanted to compete for a championship, and it wasn’t clear that Phoenix would give him that opportunity.
Of course, Paul and the Suns proceeded to go on an incredible run, recording the NBA’s second-best regular season record and rolling through the Western Conference Finals. The big question, then, became whether or not the two sides would be able to come to an agreement on running it back after Paul opted to not pick up his player option for the 2021-22 campaign, and the answer on Monday evening was a resounding yes as Paul got a massive 4-year, $120 million deal, first broken by Chris Haynes with Adrian Wojnarowski confirming the news via his agent.
BREAKING NEWS: Free agent star Chris Paul reaches agreement with Phoenix Suns on four-year, up to $120 million contract that will expire when he’s 40, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 2, 2021
Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Chris Paul has agreed to stay on a new four-year deal that could be worth as much as $120 million, his agents Steve Heumann and Ty Sullivan of @CAA_Basketball tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 2, 2021
The years are the most stunning part of this, as most anticipated a 3/90 type deal like Kyle Lowry got in Miami, but to get the fourth year that takes him to being 40 years old is a pretty incredible get for Paul, who clearly utilized his leverage over the Suns for the best.
Despite the fact that he turned 36 this season, Paul looks like he’ll be capable of playing for some time as long as he can stay healthy, an admittedly big if given the future Hall of Fame inductee’s checkered injury history. Still, Paul’s ability to get the job done is not a question, as he was the perfect point guard for a Phoenix team that lacked the kind of singular presence who could serve as a metronome on the offensive end of the floor and the consummate organizer on defense.
Last year, Paul averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 31.4 minutes per night while hitting 49.9 percent of his shots from the field and 39.5 percent of his threes. The Suns certainly seem to believe in his longevity and are banking on him being healthy and effective for a long time as they have now fully tied their title hopes to Paul.
