This Chris Paul Trade Idea Reportedly ‘Quietly Circulating’ Around NBA

The Suns might not waive Chris Paul this offseason, but that doesn’t mean the veteran point guard is staying put in Phoenix.

New Suns’ head coach Frank Vogel recently claimed the report about the organization waiving Paul was a product of a “misunderstanding.” However, Vogel acknowledged there are “ongoing conversations” in Phoenix about how to improve the roster. Perhaps that will be accomplished through a trade involving Paul, who turned 38 last month and is owed $30.8 million if he’s on the Suns’ roster June 28.

What could a Paul trade look like? Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer recently floated a potential 1-for-1 idea that apparently is being talked about in the league circles.

“There’s the idea of Phoenix exchanging Paul for James Harden, which has quietly circulated around some league personnel since the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago,” Fischer wrote. “A reunion between Harden and (Kevin) Durant makes for great fodder, and the bearded point guard could feasibly pick up his 2023-24 player option on the condition Philadelphia trades him to the Suns. You may remember Paul pulled that exact maneuver to join Harden in Houston in 2017. Harden, though, stands to gain quite a bit more financially from either staying pat with the 76ers or returning to the Rockets and their $60-plus million in waiting cap space.”

One has to wonder if Durant would be wary about teaming up with Harden for a third time. After all, their partnership in Brooklyn ended in fairly messy fashion and seemingly helped accelerate Durant’s own exit from the Nets. Phoenix also could use a guard that’s defensively sound, and Harden doesn’t really fit that mold.

As Fischer touched on, the Suns trading for Harden would be highly entertaining for hoops fans. But the odds of the 2018 MVP actually landing in the desert don’t appear to be high.