Chris Paul said he was “surprised” by the trade that sent the future Hall of Fame point guard from the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards, telling The New York Times in an interview published Monday that he found out about the news in a text from his son.
Paul also implied that Isiah Thomas, the former Detroit Pistons legend who is good friends with new Suns owner Mat Ishbia, was involved in the decision-making process.
“It’s just — it’s tough,” Paul told The New York Times. “Seriously, it is part of the business, and what you realize is that no one owes you anything. No matter how you are with them or what you do, you realize that in this business, nobody owes you anything, as it should be.
“But when it comes through and my son texts me, I realize that, you know, Mat and Isiah, I guess, just wanted to go in a different direction.”
During his introductory news conference in February, Ishbia said the team had no plans to hire Thomas but didn’t rule out a role for him in the future.
News of the trade that would send Bradley Beal to the Suns in exchange for Paul and Landry Shamet broke Sunday. The Wizards are fielding offers to possibly redirect Paul to another team, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. There’s also the possibility Washington and Paul could agree to a contract buyout, allowing him to become a free agent, sources said.
“I don’t know,” Paul said of what he would like to happen next. “I really haven’t had enough time to process it yet. Like seriously, because these things that happen affect more than just me.”
Paul joined the Suns before the 2020-21 season and helped lead the team to its first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years. He averaged 13.9 points, 8.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals across 59 starts for Phoenix last season.