AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Chris Paul is still chasing his first championship ring, but his career has been nothing but a massive success from a financial perspective.
That only became more true Monday when Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the point guard agreed to re-sign with the Phoenix Suns on a four-year contract worth up to $120 million.
After the contract expires following the 2024-25 campaign, Paul will have made $419.9 million in salary, per Spotrac.
The Wake Forest product entered the NBA as the No. 4 pick in the 2005 draft and built a Hall of Fame resume that includes a Rookie of the Year award, 10 All-NBA accolades, nine All-Defensive nods, 11 All-Star selections, six steals titles and four assist titles.
About the only thing missing is that championship ring, and he came within two wins of changing that in his first season with the Suns in 2020-21. They reached the NBA Finals only to lose a 2-0 lead against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Paul spearheaded quite the turnaround for a franchise that hadn’t even been to the playoffs since the 2009-10 campaign, when Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire were running the show.
The 36-year-old averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range.
Paul was a primary reason, alongside Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, why the Suns turned into a championship contender, and the team surely felt it had to bring him back after he reportedly declined his $44.2 million player option for 2021-22.
A four-year, $120 million deal for someone who will be 40 years old when it expires is quite the head-turner, but Phoenix is in a win-now window, and Paul is one of the best point guards of all time.
Perhaps he can win that first ring on what may be his final massive contract after stints with the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.