Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul controls the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Suns Free Agent Target Chris Paul Makes Major Announcement

Originally posted on Phoenix Suns on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Former Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul is entering his 21st season in the NBA, and he has made it clear that it will be his last.

Paul announced his intentions to retire at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

“At the most, a year,” Paul told sports reporter Jemele Hill on her podcast. “I just finished my 20th season, which is a blessing in itself. I’ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, which is a blessing, but… these years, you do not get back with your kids, with your family.”

Paul, 40, is one of the NBA's oldest players after being chosen with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Wake Forest by the New Orleans Hornets.

There's a chance Paul could spend that final season of his with the Suns, as ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne is reporting that Phoenix could be a landing spot for the future Hall-of-Fame guard.

Chris Paul is “most likely” to end up signing with the Phoenix Suns, per @ramonashelburne. pic.twitter.com/XhBe7TmUZ4
— APHoops (@APH00PS) July 2, 2025

Paul played six seasons for the Hornets before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he arguably played the prime of his career. Ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, the Clippers traded Paul to the Houston Rockets, helping them reach the Western Conference Finals before a hamstring injury knocked him out of the final two games of the series against the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors. After being eliminated by the Warriors again in 2019, his time in Houston came to an end.

He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook and spent one season with them, leading the team to the playoffs in the COVID-19 bubble. That offseason, Paul was dealt to the Suns.

Paul led the Suns to the Finals in 2021, but the team lost against the Milwaukee Bucks. Two years later, Paul was traded once again.

In the last two years, Paul has played for the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs, but now he has one final season left in his tank.

This article first appeared on Phoenix Suns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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