Chris Paul Says New Deal With Suns Shows Training Has Paid Dividends

Veteran point guard Chris Paul and the Suns will be back together again.

Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Paul’s new four-year deal will pay him in the neighboorhood of $120 million.

This comes after Paul directed the Suns on a magical run to the Finals, where they lost to the Bucks in six games.

Paul, 36, declined a player option of more than $44 million to become a free agent.

“One thing I’ll never do is take this game for granted,” Paul told Haynes. “I love to play. It’s a real privilege. I’ve said this time and time again, I don’t care what type of business endeavors I’ll have set up when I’m done playing, it’s going to be so hard and tough whenever I finish playing.

“Because I love the game, I love the grind, I love the workouts, all of it. This game means a lot to me, and I’m so thankful to be in this position.”

He averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds during the regular season, then upped that scoring average to 19.7 points during the playoffs — when the Suns became the first team to miss the playoffs for 10 straight years, then reach the Finals in their first trip back.

“I think the biggest thing for me and my advice is you can’t get bored with the process,” Paul told Haynes. “It’s crazy to think about all of this. My brother CJ [Paul], my agents, they see everything that goes into my training, the masseuses, the body work. I’m always working out. Getting up at three in the morning, five in the morning to go work out has paid off.”

Paul’s agreement to return to the Suns clearly also had something to do with his enjoyment of mentorig the youger players.

“Phoenix is the only team in the hunt for the title that is getting better at a rapid rate, by default,” wrote Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports. “Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson make up four of the Suns’ six most important players, and all of them are the age of 25 or under.

“Every other team is primarily built around seasoned players in their prime or exiting it, and there are clear examples of significant growth for Phoenix’s young core in the past season.”