Latest on Suns’ Intentions to Waive Chris Paul

Multiple reports seem to suggest the Suns will ultimately waive veteran point guard Chris Paul, as we relayed here.

But what happens after that will be anyone’s guess, it seems.

What we seem to know is that the Suns are likely looking to waive Paul ahead of June 28, when his entire $30.8 million salary for next season becomes guaranteed. If Paul is waived before then, he will be owed half of that salary.

So by waiving Paul, the Suns will save some money. But per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Suns “would like to find a way to financially keep” Paul on the roster. Otherwise, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Along with that Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic reported that the Suns haven’t even made a firm decision on Paul, but are “exploring” their options. For now, he is still on the roster. 

That’s not all. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Suns are meeting with Paul’s agent and trying to work out a resolution. Phoenix could trade Paul (unlikely), waive and stretch his contract (seems likely), or just outright waive him (always possible).

All we can really deduce at the moment is the Suns are not willing to guarantee Paul’s full deal for next season. 

These conflicting reports suggest they just haven’t quite figured out how best to go about it.

The news on Paul came to light one day after new coach Frank Vogel‘s introductory press conference. But those two things aren’t necessarily related. Hiring a coach was just the Suns’ first order of business. Tackling the Paul situation was always next.