Chris Paul found out he was being traded while on a flight
The first big-time, blockbuster trade of the NBA offseason occurred on Sunday when the Washington Wizards sent three-time All-Star Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, and an assortment of second-round picks and pick swaps.
The trade sent shockwaves across the NBA landscape, but nobody was more shocked than Chris Paul, who revealed Monday on ‘Good Morning America’ that he learned about the news of being traded in a surprising fashion.
“I was surprised too,” Paul said getting a laugh out of the GMA panel. “I found out on the plane yesterday flying here for this. In this league anything can happen so you just figure out what’s next.”
Paul was a guest on the show to promote his new book ‘Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court’, a memoir and tribute to his grandfather. And in an interview with the New York Times, he revealed specifically that a text message from his 14-year-old son Chris Paul II is how he learned the news of that trade he was involved in.
Paul also revealed in the New York Times interview that new Suns owner Mat Ishbia and his friend and NBA Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas wanted to go in a different direction. Despite Ishbia previously saying Thomas does not have a role with the team and president of basketball operations and general manager James Jones speaking to Paul the day before.
Following the trade, ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Paul will likely land somewhere other than Washington when the trade is all said and done, allowing Washington to receive offers from other teams so Paul has a chance to land with a contender.
Paul has spent the last three seasons of his 18-year career with Phoenix, helping the Suns reach the playoffs in each of those three years after they failed to miss the playoffs in 10 straight seasons. He was a major catalyst in their 2021 trip to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Milwaukee Bucs despite Paul’s 21.8 points and 8.2 assists per game in the Finals.
The 12-time NBA All-Star has established himself as one of the best point guards of all time throughout his career, and it will definitely be interesting to see where he lands and which team he can help after turning 38 years old just last month.