Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul reportedly plans to turn down his $ 44.2 million player option for the 2021-22 season. This will make the 36-year-old unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
This is what Eric Pincus reports from Bleacher Report with reference to several anonymous sources. Accordingly, the Point God is planning to forego the lucrative player option in favor of a new, long-term contract. Pincus speculates that Paul could target a new three-year deal in the range of $ 100 million.
With this, Paul would accept a reduced annual salary compared to his player option, but at the same time secure a higher, guaranteed salary for himself over the new contract period. Gordon Hayward and Al Horford recently followed a similar path.
The Suns brought Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2020 offseason by trade, together with the young core of the team around Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the eleven-time All-Star led the team to second place in the Western Conference and to their first playoff participation since 2010.
The franchise will most likely do everything it can to keep Paul in the Free Agency should Paul actually decline his player option and become a free agent. At the same time, contract extensions for Ayton and Mikal Bridges are also on the program. According to the report, the center could get a maximum contract, Bridges could rake in around $ 20 million a year on the open market.
In the 2020/21 regular season, Paul put on an average of 16.4 points and 8.9 assists at 49.9 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from downtown. In the playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, his numbers went down significantly in the first five games, also due to a shoulder injury. It is not known whether the injury will change anything in CP3’s offseason plans. The deadline for deciding on his player option is August 1st.
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