Chris Paul has been told he must win the NBA championship this season after his Phoenix Suns completed a blockbuster trade for superstar Kevin Durant.
Last week, the Suns acquired Durant and T.J. Warren for Mika Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four unprotected future first-round picks. It was an immense haul, but it means the former MVP and 13-time All-Star has landed in Arizona with Phoenix now considered by many to be the favourites to win the NBA title on paper.
Durant will team up with star Devin Booker as well as Deandre Ayton and Paul. He reportedly requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets in the aftermath of Kyrie Irving being shipped to the Dallas Mavericks, and informed the Eastern Conference franchise of his desire to be sent to Phoenix.
Few franchises ever get a chance to trade for a star like Durant - which the Suns organisation hadn't experienced since making the deal for Charles Barkley in 1992. However, analyst Stephen A. Smith believes the move ultimately heaps pressure on Paul, who is considered by many to be an all-time great despite never winning a championship.
“If you’re CP3, this is the best chance you’ve had to win a championship,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “This is better than the chance you had two years ago against Milwaukee. It’s better than that because you’ve got Kevin Durant.
“You’ve got Kevin Durant, who I believe - when healthy - is the best player on the planet. That’s how I feel about Kevin Durant. With [Devin] Booker? And a dude in [Deandre] Ayton who is no scrub? Ayton can give you 20 and 10. Ayton might have gotten outplayed by Giannis [Antetokounmpo], but it took Giannis to outplay him. He didn’t get outplayed by anybody else in the postseason that year. I believe in Deandre Ayton - that brother can play.
“I’m sorry I’ve got a seven footer in the middle, I got a 6’11 dude that’s the ultimate wing-player, Mr mid-range himself with a three-point arsenal who can drop 30, 40, 50 in his sleep - and I got Booker? And all I’ve got to do if I’m CP3 is run the show? No, you got to win this year. If you’re CP3, you’ve got to win this year.”
The Suns ultimately paid a steep price to acquire the 34-year-old, but the franchise - who are under new ownership in Matt Ishbia - made the splash in order to chase a first NBA title. Durant is under contract for three more years, and Ishbia reportedly promised to give Suns coach Monty Williams the talent to chase a championship.
Paul addressed the Durant trade recently and admitted he was still coming to terms with having an all-time great as his teammate. On Wednesday, he told ESPN: “It's taken some getting used to. I was telling [Devin Booker] the other day, I played with a lot of great players - I got a chance to play with Blake [Griffin], I got a chance to play with David West early in my career, I played with James [Harden] - [but] probably never two guys of this caliber, as far as Devin and KD.
“I know I'm not taking it for granted. I told [Booker] not to.”
The 32-27 Suns take on the Los Angeles Clippers in their next contest on Thursday night. The 32-28 Clippers sit fifth in the Western Conference, one spot behind Phoenix.
