Unknowingly, the NBA's schedule this season is approaching the halfway point, and when it comes to the most disappointing teams this season, some high-spending and high-goal teams, including the Warriors and Suns, are in focus. It seems that both teams are miserable, but in fact, the Suns cannot afford to lose, after all, everyone knows that the Warriors are in the liquidation stage at the end of the dynasty, which is something that all super teams need to go through, and high expenses are also a reward from the owners for meritorious players, who have already written their glory in the history of the NBA. The Suns, on the other hand, are the team that they really "can't afford to lose". Miserable trade, goodbye to the sun, value reaffirmed, but if you want to realize your dream, sacrifice is far from enough.
The Suns have had three glorious years in the past three seasons, reaching the Finals and reaching the Western Conference Semifinals with their worst result. Obviously, the experience of the Finals has left the Suns management behind in the next two years, and they are more and more eager to reach the top of the league, which is why the Suns forced a trade to get Durant. However, the anxiety of the Suns management was a big mistake after all, after several big trades, only Booker was left among the players in the Suns who had participated in the Finals, and the Suns with a new roster now seem to not even have a playoff spot. Among the series of transactions, the most embarrassing is undoubtedly the Suns' exchange of veteran Chris Paul for the Bradley Beal trade.
Looking back at the success and fall of the sun, it happens to be Paul's arrival and departure. Before Paul joined the Suns, the Suns had missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons. Paul's first season with the Suns gave young core players such as Booker and Ayton a taste of the Finals, and their regular season record was always among the best. As a result, Paul was traded in the offseason and left the Suns. Regardless of where Paul went and how he performed, looking at the Suns' results, they couldn't even lock in a top-6 position in the West, and this past season, the Suns still occupied the 4th position in the West, not to mention that in the previous two seasons, the Suns had a regular season win rate of more than 70%.
Beal's injury, as well as his poor performance, coupled with the Suns' sparse record, and the Suns' disorganized court performance, all show one thing, Booker is overrated, Durant is not good at leading the team, and Paul is the real brain of the team, the master of control. In a way, Paul needs to thank the sun, and it is their performance of pulling the crotch that proves Paul's worth. However, from Paul's own point of view, did he really prove himself? Or did he become a trade-off, a victim, and was the Sun really wrong? In fact, the Sun did nothing wrong in giving up Paul. On the one hand, the Suns fell in the Western Conference semifinals in a row, and Paul could not escape the blame.
After losing to the Mavericks in the playoffs, Paul was completely blown up by Doncic, which was one of the roots of the Suns' rout. In fact, when facing the Pelicans in the first round, Paul had many times when he couldn't score a double in a single game, which obviously made people feel powerless. And this past season, the Suns were out, and Paul didn't make any substantial contributions. Facing the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, the Suns first fell behind 0-2, and then Paul fell, and it was Booker and Durant's continuous supernatural play that led the Suns to two wins, and these two victories, at least on the court, have nothing to do with Paul. To put it mildly, as a core with an annual salary of 30 million, Paul's contract does have a premium, even if there is no trade, the first thing the Suns think about is to lay off Paul.
To put it mildly, the Suns have no choice but to cut Paul and make room for a playmaker who can trade for Beal, and they are just dead horses and a live horse doctor, they are desperate, and there is no chance for the roster to improve. As for Paul, in this half season of the Warriors, he has certainly received a lot of praise, and his ability to lead the team and control the court has received a lot of recognition. But then again, just playing as a substitute, such a sacrifice is not enough to help Paul realize his dream of winning the championship, he wants to win the championship, Paul has to make a huge sacrifice, that is, in terms of salary, accept the reality.
In terms of personal form, Paul is no longer the super guard who scores when he wants to, and in terms of injuries, Paul can't control his attendance. In this way, if Paul wants to win the championship, he will have to lower his posture again. For example, if he was willing to buy out with the Wizards, sign a contract with the Lakers or the Clippers as a mid-level exception, and act as a substitute, such as replacing Willis in the role of the Clippers, Paul would definitely be able to improve the Clippers' bench combat ability to a large extent. And even if he goes down injured, he won't have a huge impact on the team, which is the key to pursuing his dream at this stage.