Don't get too obsessed with your favorite NBA players, one day, they will be past their prime, the old man of time is fair to everyone, no matter how talented a player is, one day they will not be able to play as well as they used to. It looks like the Suns' days for Chris Paul are over, and while he's still a prolific NBA player, the 37-year-old can't offense as much as he used to.
Paul's decline was felt in the playoff Western Conference Finals series between the Suns and the Dallas Mavericks, and as the series progressed, he became increasingly passive, becoming an irrelevant player in Game seven. Currently, Paul is trying to finish the Suns' job while Devin Booker is recovering from injury, and as a result, Phoenix has been sliding down the rankings.
The same applies to Kyle Lowry of the Miami Heat, who has yet to fulfill the big contract he signed a few years ago and who now seems to have affected the Heat's form.
It also serves as a wake-up call for other teams in the league not to award big contracts to older players. But teams can't be too cautious, and if you're a competitive team and you have the ability to get an older star who is still performing at his best, you probably should. In fact, the Suns weren't even competitive when they got Paul, and it's hard to imagine that they'll regret the decision. After all, Paul's first year on the team made it to the NBA Finals. On the other hand, when the Miami Heat signed Lowry, they looked competitive, and unfortunately, he didn't contribute much to the team's record, and the Heat's experience was the complete opposite of what the Suns did with Paul, so it certainly pays to explore the trade market to turn things around.
According to James Piercey, a well-known NBA analyst in the United States, in order to further improve the team's strength and enrich the team's tactical play, so that it can enter the playoffs and impact the championship this season, the Miami Heat management decided to further recruit in the middle of the season, and the interested object is Chris Paul, the head point guard of the Phoenix Suns. It is reported that the Miami Heat have sent an official offer to the Phoenix Suns and are still waiting for a reply.
According to James Piercey, a well-known NBA analyst in the US media, the Miami Heat were very sincere in order to get the trade chips given by Chris Paul, and directly sent the team's point guard, and even sent two second-round picks, which fully shows the sincerity of the Miami Heat to reach this deal. The specific trade plan given by the Miami Heat is as follows:
The Phoenix Suns won: Kyle Lowry, 2023 second round, 2024 second round
Miami Heat team wins: Chris Paul
Why did the Miami Heat make this deal?
As he ages, Paul can no longer be the Suns' second choice, and the same is true with the Heat. In fact, the god of possession will be fourth in this Heat's ranking. He will be ranked behind Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Taylor Hiro. But it's not a sure-cut deal for the Heat. If Paul's performance continues to decline, they will sign an extra year on contract for no apparent reason. At the same time, Paul should be good enough to make this team more competitive in 2022-23, even as he ages. So far this season, Paul has played 31.3 minutes per game, averaging 13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.3 blocks while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three-point range.
Why did the Phoenix Suns agree to make this deal?
The deal has nothing to do with Paul's team's performance on the pitch, it's all about the money. Lowry's contract is one year less than Paul's, and that's the whole reason. The Suns should have agreed to make the deal in order to get rid of Paul's contract, after all, the NBA is a business league. Plus, at least the Suns got two second-round players on the way to Lowry, and it wouldn't hurt to add more draft assets for a team looking to position themselves around Devin Booker. At the same time, Lowry will also contribute to the Suns, and there is no problem playing the sixth man at all. So far this season, Lowry has played 35 minutes per game, averaging 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks, shooting 39.8% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range.