Suns star Chris Paul is declining his $44.2MM player option for the 2021/22 season, allowing him to enter unrestricted free agency this week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As we previously relayed, Paul remains likely to re-sign with the team on a new deal. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that there remains optimism between both sides that a new agreement will be reached in free agency.
Entering free agency will allow Paul to seek a multiyear contract and one last big payday. The 36-year-old reached the NBA Finals for the first time in his 16-year career last season, averaging 16.4 points and 8.9 assists per game and earning All-NBA Second Team honors. He’s widely considered to be the most valuable guard on the open market this summer.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the Suns can sign Paul to a contract up to four years if he officially opts out. Other teams with salary cap space are restricted to offering him a three-year deal due to the Over-38 rule, which is designed to prevent teams from circumventing the salary cap by offering a contract that extends beyond when the club expects a player to end his career. Paul will turn 38 in May of 2023.
In addition to his impressive averages, Paul also shot 49.9% from the floor and 39.5% from three-point range — all while playing 70 of 72 regular-season games for Phoenix in 2020/21. He was in the final year of a four-year, $160MM contract signed in 2018.
I remember everyone said there was no way he’d ever turn down that option. Lol
It’s the only way he could get a long-term deal, from Phoenix or anyone.
It’ll be Phoenix. More money long term but less annually
Yeah I think he realizes that GreenWood, but your team owner said it was the worst deal in NBA history lol. Also do you have to create a whole new account everytime the Rockets get a new player and you change your name?
Buuurn
Can he really make more than that in a multi year deal? 3 years at 60?
He’s getting 3 years, 90 million. Less money per year but more long term.
If he only signs at 3/60 then this is an awful mistake for him.
If he opted in, he would easily top 2 year, 16 million the next year.
I’m guessing he signs something like 3 years 90 million
Maybe as low as 80 million and as high as 100 million
$30M/year is too much for a 36-year old player who will turn 39 in the third year of the deal. He shouldn’t get more than 3 years/$75M-$80M.
It would be very unwise for the Suns to give him anymore than that.
If the Suns offer him that he’ll sign elsewhere. Have to keep Paul. They were a lottery team before he got there. It would also piss off Booker that he left. Can’t get cheap now.
Exactly ironmonger, you can’t get cheap now. It’s like the Jazz. Had a great year last year, the number one seed. Time to pay up for Conley. Letting him walk would be the worst thing ever.
What team with that much cap space wants to sign a player Chris Paul’s age? They’re not competing with anyone, if they don’t want to pay him as much as he wants then the Suns would do a sign and trade sending him to a contender. CP3 isn’t going to walk.
The Knicks, Pelicans, maybe Mavericks
At Greenwood:
If they offer 80, you are talking about shorting him 10 which is 3 a year.
You’re going to short a guy that took you to the finals after 10 years of not making the playoffs?
If you believe you can win a title in year 1 and/or 2, you don’t sweat year 3. If he declines, you take it on the chin without pause.
2022-23 season
Suns will pay $147 million tax?
My Projected New salary $104 million
Paul $30m
Ayton $28m
Bridges $22m
Payne $12m pay cut
Johnson $12m pay cut
If Paul gets $30m per year and Suns use $6m MLE
Suns owner pays luxury tax for Bridges, Payne and Cam Johnson
2022-23 season
I believe there’s a cap on how much a 38+ yo can make in the L so they might have to frontload a 3/90 deal.
Of course he could always sign for the min for the Lakers
As great as he’s been for his career, I wouldn’t want the team I root for to sign him. 37 years old at the end of next season and with his injury history… hard pass from this fan.
I feel the same. If my team signed him I was be super disappointed
3 yrs for $75 is fair for both sides.
Paul isn’t signing for $75. How you going to offer him barely more than it costs for a copy of 2K
He probably has already had the conversation and worked out a contract with PHX. Otherwise he’d opt-in.
Gotta work a sign and trade with the Sixers
No thanks
You simply don’t know what is good
He’s gonna get 3 year 100 mil.
4 year $109 mil
Compare to Al Horford contract
It’d reduce luxury tax payment
Go to NY
Go to NY
Go to NY
Go!
El Cheapo Robert Sarver’s back is against the wall.
These next few days will be fun to watch.
I’m shocked he opted out because it appears he’s staying in PHX. I pretty sure he could just have opted in and immediately done an extension for 2 more years.
I am not a C Paul fan, but seriously, he is an easy 2/80 or maybe 3/110 candidate for a couple of teams and he has the suns over a barrel. Doubters are wrong. He gets paid.
He’s not good for more than two yrs. His stats are already down. Now his value is in playing PG for Suns. He’s not doing this somewhere else. He’s only good for a contender. And all contenders don’t t have cap to sign him. So all this is, is a way to get 3 more yrs instead of one. I guess Suns have to sign him. He makes them a contender next two yrs. They better fix their bench though.
Maybe Paul and Kawhi are working together to bring him back to LAC ?
Kawhi takes a backloaded deal and Paul gets a front loaded deal.
CP3 even said how much he loved the Clippers Org and fans (and Billy Crystal) when he made his final speech after knocking them out
Devils avocado –
Phx believes he’s too rich & risky and CP3 and management got a bombshell S&T worked out for tomorrow to get Phx some value/$ and Paul moves to a different contender amicably with the contract/team he wants
Heat should have traded for him when they had the chance 2 years ago. I said at the time that this situation would come up, and literally all of the pieces who would have went in the trade are already gone anyway
You can say that now after what we’ve seen in hindsight, but with that injury history every single year and the Hami they were right to not do it then.
I said it then. I said this would happen then. Hindsight wasnt necessary. If they had made that trade, they might have won at least a championship, and wouldn’t have to give up Dragic and assets that could be used in other deals for Lowry right now