Ahead of Wednesday's Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes shook up the NBA world with a massive report on the future of 38-year-old point guard Chris Paul.
"Phoenix Suns have notified star Chris Paul that he will be waived, making the future Hall of Famer one of the top free agents this offseason," Haynes tweeted. "Chris Paul plans to play for several more years and is eager to help a team contend for a championship…"
During the fallout from Haynes' report, The Athletic's Shams Charania and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that CP3 and the Suns were looking at a number of different options that could potentially lead to his exit.
Ultimately, if he isn't traded before the June 28 deadline at which his contract becomes fully guaranteed for next season, it looks like he'll be waived. And assuming he clears waivers, he'd be an unrestricted free agent.
That, of course, means he could be in this summer's free-agency class.
Operating under all of the above assumptions, it's time to revisit the top 30 free agents with CP3 added to the mix.
The order, as always, is determined by numbers, past production, trends in the game and plenty of subjectivity.
Free Agents 30-26
30. P.J. Washington (Restricted)
A solid-shooting combo forward who might even be able to play some small-ball 5 in a pinch, P.J. Washington is a career 36.6 percent three-point shooter.
29. Dillon Brooks (Unrestricted)
Dillon Brooks has been one of the worst shooters in the NBA throughout his career, but he has decent size for a wing and isn't afraid to take on difficult defensive assignments.
28. Grant Williams (Restricted)
Another combo forward who can match up against opponents' top scorers, Grant Williams has hit 39.7 percent of his threes over the last three seasons.
27. Jordan Clarkson (Player Option)
For years, Jordan Clarkson has been known as a scoring spark off the bench, but in 2022-23, he also showed off improved playmaking chops with a career-high 4.4 assists per game.
26. Bogdan Bogdanovic (Player Option)
A solid three-point shooter who can also provide a little secondary creation, Bogdan Bogdanovic has averaged 3.0 assists and hit 40.0 percent of his triples since he joined the Atlanta Hawks ahead of the 2020-21 season.