Frank Vogel Hire Could See Suns Pursue Chris Paul's Replacement

The Phoenix Suns could find their next point guard in Alex Caruso.

The dust is beginning to settle on the Phoenix Suns' decision to hire Frank Vogel. In the coming days we'll learn more about his staff and what he plans to implement moving forward. 

We know a few things about Vogel: He's a championship caliber coach who has seen success with multiple franchises. - he won the 2020 NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers and took the Indiana Pacers to multiple appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals previously. 

Besides Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, it feels as if mostly everybody is up for debate when forming Phoenix's roster for the 2023-24 season, a pivotal one now that all the chips have been pushed to the middle of the table.

The future of Deandre Ayton will rightfully be discussed and debated until we know a final outcome, but the status of Chris Paul shouldn't be put on the back burner, either. 

The 38-year-old point guard has until June 28 to see his contract for next season fully guaranteed. The Suns could opt to release him while only taking on $15.8 million of his salary before that date, but Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported Phoenix plans to pick that option up.

Yet there's still plenty of speculation on Paul and what his future holds. The Suns have lurked in the shadows in potential replacements at the point guard position and will surely extend that interest into the offseason.

Forbes' Evan Sidery says current Chicago Bulls PG Alex Caruso should be a name to watch in Phoenix, given his connection to Vogel.

"He's certainly one of our best players, that's the simplest way to put it," Vogel said during their time together in Los Angeles. 

Full clip:

Alex Caruso is a name to keep an eye as a potential offseason trade target for the Suns.

New Suns head coach Frank Vogel said this about Caruso in 2021:

“He’s certainly one of our best players. That’s the simplest way to put it.”

Caruso is under contract with Chicago through… pic.twitter.com/WKTIdh5SVG

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 2, 2023

Caruso - nearly a decade younger at 29 - is under contract for two more seasons with cap hits of $9.4 million and $9.8 million. 

He's not exactly a scorer with just 5.6 points per game, though his numbers were limited thanks to his status as a backup point guard behind Coby White. 

When compared to Paul, he is a better three-point shooter (36.4% to Paul's 32.1%) and free throw shooter (80.8% to Paul's 50%) . 

Phoenix needs more from their core outside of Durant/Booker, which would include better shooting and scoring opportunities. While Caruso doesn't exactly excel in that area, he is still capable of running an offense at the point.