(670 The Score) The Bulls are in dire need of a point guard, and a Hall of Fame-caliber one may just hit the market soon.
Chris Paul and the Suns have been in discussions about his future with the organization recently, and the team is considering the possibility of trading or waiving him, according to ESPN. If the 38-year-old Paul does become a free agent, could the Bulls pursue him? K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago answered that question on the Mully & Haugh Show on Thursday morning. Johnson believes in the prism of just the 2023-’24 season, Paul would be helpful for Chicago, but the Bulls are a “long shot,” he said.
Paul is owed $30.8 million in 2023-’24, with $15.8 million of that guaranteed. He averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists while shooting 44.0% in 59 games this past season.
“Never say never,” Johnson said of the possibility of Paul joining the Bulls.
“Let’s just look at the basketball aspect of it. To me, he’d be a fantastic fit, 38 or not, I don’t care. You heard Arturas (Karnisovas) just rave about Patrick Beverley’s impact down the stretch after picking him up from the buyout market. Chris Paul is Patrick Beverley but with a Hall of Fame resume. He’s a floor general. He gets in people’s faces with leadership. He’s an irritant to the other team. He can still knock down the 3-point shot. Yes, he’s more injury-prone because of his age now, but he’s played for Billy Donovan, he’s close with Coby White. You just run down the list, to me, he’d be a fantastic fit for a short-term, stopgap solution as you figure out the point guard position yet again and because of Lonzo Ball’s unfortunate (health saga).
“But the early word is that first of all, he clearly wants to stay in Phoenix if he can. So there’s that possibility of him clearing waivers and then maybe re-signing at a lower salary. And then the Lakers always seem to be involved in things like this because of LeBron James and their status. And then obviously, he wants to play for a contender, that’s a team coming of a conference finals appearance and the Bulls are coming off of a play-in loss. It’s probably a long shot, but it’s certainly something to write about and consider and talk about.”
Listen to Johnson’s full interview in the audio player above.
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