Chris Paul said he found out he was traded by the Phoenix Suns while he was flying across country.
During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show Monday (June 19), Paul said his son texted him about the trade while he was flying from Los Angeles to New York ahead of a Good Morning America appearance Monday morning.
"I was flying yesterday to New York from L.A. and I got a text from my son, that's how I found out," Paul said. "It is what it is. I was sitting there, I showed my wife because we were in the air and it was, 'alright, we've got to figure out what's next.'"
Paul, 38, initially said he was "surprised" by the move during his earlier appearance on Good Morning America, while also acknowledging that he learned about the move during his flight to New York.
Paul was included in a trade with the Washington Wizards centered around All-Star guard Bradley Beal, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday (June 18). Landry Shamet and several second-round picks, which includes "multiple pick swaps," were also sent to the Wizards in exchange for Beal.
Washington reportedly acquired Paul with the consideration that he would be traded to an NBA Finals contender while being able to receive compensation, Wojnarowski reported.
"Part of the reason for holding up full completion on the Wizards-Suns trade will be to allow Washington to field offers from third teams that would give Chris Paul a chance to land with a contender, sources tell ESPN," Wojnarowski tweeted.
Paul spent the past three seasons with the Suns after being acquired in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 12-time All-Star averaged 15.1 points, 9.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game during his tenure in Phoenix, which included winning a franchise-record 64 games during the 2021-22, as well as making his only career NBA Finals in 2021.
Paul was selected by the then-New Orleans Hornets at No. 4 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft and spent his first seven seasons with the franchise before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011. The former Wake Forest standout also spent two seasons with the Houston Rockets (2017-19) and one season with the Thunder.
Paul currently ranks third in NBA history with 11,501 career assists trailing only Basketball Hall of Famers John Stockton (15,806) and Jason Kidd (12,091) and 37th in career points with 21,755.
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