Suns Rumors: Fred VanVleet Interests Phoenix If Chris Paul Trade Falls Through

The Phoenix Suns are working on a contingency plan should their pursuit of Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul fall short. 

ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps reported the Suns are interested in acquiring Paul. According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, Phoenix could also look to target unrestricted free agent Fred VanVleet.

It would appear the Suns are focused on adding another point guard despite Ricky Rubio still having two years left on his contract. Rubio didn't have a bad first season with the team, either. He averaged 13.0 points and 8.8 assists while shooting a career-high 36.1 percent from three-point range.

Going after Paul makes sense because he's a future Hall of Famer who made the All-NBA second team in 2019-20. The 35-year-old has also been a great influence on the Thunder's younger players, especially Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Assuming he can continue to play at a high level in 2020-21, Paul would be an upgrade over Rubio.

VanVleet can't match Paul's resume, but he's one of the best free agents for a reason. The 26-year-old posted a personal-best 17.6 points per game, and he was excellent in the playoffs, averaging 19.6 points, 6.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds over 11 games.

Rubio is a better playmaker, but VanVleet is the superior scorer. Having him on the court would take some of the defense's attention away from Devin Booker.

Rubio is a proven guard, but there's a reason why his last two teams with playoff ambitions chose to go in different directions. The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Jeff Teague in 2017, and the Utah Jazz acquired Mike Conley in 2019 in an effort to improve.

The 30-year-old Spanish international doesn't have the skill set to fit with how coaches are running their offenses.

The Suns are looking to end a 10-year postseason drought. Paul or VanVleet would likely raise their ceiling higher than if they continued to roll with Rubio as the starting point guard.