Suns GM Thanks Warriors' Chris Paul After Trade: 'Grateful' for 'Immeasurable Impact'

The Phoenix Suns never quite got over the hump to win a championship during Chris Paul's three seasons with the team, but his impact was "immeasurable" when it came to creating a winning culture and turning around the direction of the franchise.

"We are grateful for everything Chris and Landry [Shamet] added to our organization," Suns president of basketball operations and general manager James Jones said in the team's announcement regarding the acquisition of Bradley Beal. "Chris had an immeasurable impact on our team, on and off the court, and we thank him for all he did for the Valley."

Phoenix sent Paul to the Washington Wizards as part of a three-team deal that also involved the Indiana Pacers. Washington has since traded the future Hall of Fame point guard to the Golden State Warriors.

The Suns landed Paul in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to the 2020-21 season, and he wasted little time making his impact felt.

Phoenix went from six straight losing seasons to the NBA Finals in his first year with the club and then finished with the league's best record at 64-18 in his second. Even with the Finals loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and a shocking second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the 64-18 season, it was quite the difference for a franchise that was mired in struggles before Paul's arrival.

He instantly made those around him better, whether it was setting up Deandre Ayton in pick-and-rolls or putting Devin Booker in ideal positions to score. Unfortunately for Paul and the Suns, he was sidelined by injury for most of this past season's second-round loss to the Denver Nuggets.

The story of Paul's career has been excellent play and drastically improving his team just to fall short of a championship, but playing with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors could be the formula to change that.