2. Without Chris Paul, where will the Phoenix Suns go?
There's no certainty the Suns will release Paul, according to reports from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic when the news about Paul surfaced on Wednesday. The Suns might actually waive Paul and then re-sign him to the league minimum, according to reports from Wojnarowski and Charania. The Suns would save money as a result, increasing their cap space for future transactions.
The two reporters did, however, reveal that the Suns may move Paul or even extend his deal, in which case he would be charged $3.2 million over the following five seasons to Phoenix's salary cap. The Suns "would like to find a way to financially keep" him, according to Woj. So perhaps nothing will come of this. However, it is evident that the Suns are considering all of their alternatives and will choose an upgrade if one is offered.
Could Harden or Kyrie Irving be the targets for the Suns? Since Paul is such a ball lord, the Mavericks probably wouldn't be interested in trading Irving for him. Ayton, meanwhile, who Woj claims will also be marketed this summer, may be desired by Dallas.
Since Ayton is unquestionably the greatest player the Suns could move, his future is intriguing. Following the trade deadline acquisition of Kevin Durant, the team reduced its resources. Frank Vogel, the new Suns head coach, gushed over Ayton during his opening press conference.
"I believe he has the potential to be one of the league's top centers. He shot nearly 80% from the field when we last faced him in the playoffs a few years ago, and he stopped every drive, cut, and attempt to go for the basket, according to Vogel. He still has room to improve offensively in several areas. But I'm determined to get to know him well and turn him back into an All-Star player.
Should we accept Vogel's argument? Yes, to a certain extent. Only eight Suns players, including Ayton, have guaranteed contracts. Will Durant and Devin Booker, though, feel the same way as Vogel once they have dealt with Ayton's antics? Ayton hasn't exhibited the same level of performance as when Vogel was the Lakers' head coach. Since getting compensated, he hasn't had the same zeal, thus although keeping him for another season might be an option, so should moving him.
Without Ayton, the Suns would benefit from signing centers Naz Reid, Christian Wood, and Nikola Vucevic as free agents. None of them give the defense that Ayton can, but they all provide a passable defense along with a far more exciting offensive performance.
The pact would hard cap the Suns if Paul or Ayton were part of a sign-and-trade transaction for a player. However, they would still be able to fill up their roster using the mid-level ($12.2 million), biennial ($4.5 million), and league minimum exceptions depending on the player's pay.
The procedure is still in its infancy. But it's obvious that the Suns are attempting to find out how to improve their chances of winning the title by focusing on Durant and Booker, even if that would entail giving up the ailing point guard and talented center who helped them get into the running.
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