The sun has set on Chris Paul

THIS was supposed to be the Season of the Suns.

They claimed home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They finally stayed healthy, even after Devin Booker’s scare in the first round. They had the Dallas Mavericks down at 0-2, with

Luka Doncic just returning from his own injury. It seemed like they would wrap the series easily. Almost every analyst thought so, this corner was not an exception.

But the Mavericks fought valiantly. They are the clear surprise of the playoffs yet nobody gave them much regard. Nobody even noticed Dallas Coach Jason Kidd. The Mavs proved critics wrong, especially those who criticized the trade for Spencer Dinwiddie that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington. That trade worked out for the Mavericks, and this was highlighted when Luka Doncic got injured. They managed to stay competitive and even steal a victory from the Suns in his absence.

The Phoenix Suns have vowed to return stronger next season after the embarrassing loss in the winner-take-all Game 7. This is probably the most important game in Chris Paul’s career as it is likely his last chance to win an NBA title. And their entire team, including the “point god” himself, choked in a disastrous manner.

Why is this season projected to be the last run of the Suns?

‘Ayton’ for granted

DeAndre Ayton is a first overall pick. He played a pivotal role in the title run last year, only falling short against a team led by two-time Greek Freak MVP. It was almost a no-brainer for someone like him to sign a max deal. While it’s true that his numbers are not earth-shattering, it would be easy for him to get a max from the other 29 teams in the league.

Another thing for the Phoenix front office to consider is that they would not have another player to replace Ayton. The Suns are unlikely to be a destination for top tier free agents, and the chemistry that was built between Paul, Ayton and Devin Booker was nothing to scoff at — they did win 64 games, eight full games more than the second placer.

Ayton averaged over 17 points and 10 rebounds in 58 games for the Suns. However, he failed to build on the momentum from last year’s run and he did not have the breakout year that was expected from him. This is probably the reason why the Suns hesitated to offer him the max contract or was it the other way around?

But the NBA is a buyer’s league and this is why many teams are forced to overpay their players. With the new draft lottery, tanking no longer guarantees a top pick. The Detroit Pistons have been brazenly tanking all year long, and while they don’t have the worst record, 5th overall is quite a drop in what is seen as a three-player draft.

With the collapse of the Suns, along with an ugly confrontation between Ayton and head coach Monty Williams early in the season, the young center who is also a homegrown talent from Arizona is likely to explore other options as a restricted free agent. The Suns can still match any offer, but it would take real work to patch the strained relationship. Phoenix might end up trying to salvage pieces in a sign and trade, but teams would know that they don’t have leverage.

Small-ball model

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Phoenix Suns with all their main players as guards, even if Luka Doncic is a burly 6’7. They proved that while the big men are at a renaissance, you can totally win with a guard-driven team. This may diminish any urgency or motivation for the Suns to keep Ayton, since they have seen directly that small-ball really works in the NBA today.

However, Paul is no longer in his prime while Doncic is proving to be a generational talent. It illustrates the point that it’s not really the small-ball strategy that makes it work, but the immense talent. That’s why not every team that followed the Golden State Warriors model succeeded.

Chris Paul is in grave danger of getting relegated to the Fellowship of No Rings, and if they lose Ayton, CP3’s last contract may just end up as a retirement fund.