Chris Paul Unsure of Future With Suns Amid Speculation
Chris Paul’s future as a Phoenix Sun is certainly one of the looming questions surrounding this franchise going into this offseason.
According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Phoenix is expected to "aggressively" shop Chris Paul this summer and it's "pretty likely" he will be playing for a different team next season. Despite those rumors, Paul is remaining calm and knows it's out of his control.
That was shortly after Phoenix's season ended last week. Now, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes is reporting the Suns are expected to retain Paul.
When it comes to his future, Paul himself says he doesn't know.
“Unfortunately, I'm not the GM or anything like that,” Paul said on if he will be back with the Suns next season via the Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin. “So, we'll see.”
Paul may not be the explosive point guard he once was back in his hay day but at 38-years-old Paul has found ways to affect the game in other aspects.
“It was cool,” Paul said about playing off the ball. “You don’t play 18 years in this league at a high level and not understand how to adjust and adapt to the game. I’ve been in this NBA a lot longer than some of the people who have been covering it. I remember when the games ended in 80 to 85 scores."
This past season, Paul averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists. Paul played 66 games between both the regular season and playoffs. He dealt with a couple injuries during the regular season and a groin injury that cut his postseason short which was a difficult situation for Paul who continues to search for his first championship.
“It’s tough man, it’s part of professional sports,” Paul said about his groin injury. “It happens, unfortunate. You don’t want it to. If it happens, you try to heal up as fast as possible and you get back at it.”
Staying healthy is a big issue for Paul but he continues to fight to remain in the NBA.
"It's a lot of people who would love to be in this situation,” Paul said. “To be able to play basketball everyday. I'm 38 years old. You can call it what you want to, but I come in, I work hard every single day. I'm not going to act like I'm here by luck. I put the work in."
Father time is undefeated. Paul’s game has certainly regressed physically but there is much more to the game of basketball than the physical aspect.
“I don’t talk about it too much, but I know this game better than just about anybody,” Paul said. “I put that up against anybody. That’s what’s not going to change. Is my knowledge of the game and I’m going to keep putting in the work. If you mad at it, you hate it, it’s on you.”
No matter what happens during the offseason, Paul’s legacy and impact on the Suns’ organization is profound and will not be forgotten.
