Chris Paul and the Knicks have been linked as a possible fit for most of the offseason, but the Phoenix Suns may have something to say about that.

According to a report from Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN, the Suns have had discussions about trading for Paul, a 10-time All-Star and future Hall-of-Famer. Talks have been "ongoing and continued to gather traction, but there is no deal imminent," according to the report.

SNY's Ian Begley has previously reported that there are people within the Knicks organization who continue to see Paul as someone who can help jump-start their efforts to build a winning culture, something that is undoubtedly a high priority for new team president Leon Rose and head coach Tom Thibodeau.

After spending two years in Houston, Paul was traded to Oklahoma City in a deal that brought Russell Westbrook to the Rockets. And while there were many who though Paul would be unhappy in OKC, he ended up having an outstanding season, averaging 17.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game, earning his latest All-Star nod.

The Suns would be an interesting fit for the 35-year-old. Even though they had a record of just 34-39 last season, the Suns have an exciting young core featuring superstar Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges, among others.

In order to complete any deal for Paul, the Knicks would need to clear up cap space, and there are a number of ways the team could do that, including waiving veteran players on short-term deals such as Taj Gibson, Reggie Bullock, Elfrid Payton, Bobby Portis, and Wayne Ellington. Paul has two years and roughly $85 million left on his contract.

The 2020-21 season is officially set to begin on Dec. 22, so the Knicks, and all other NBA teams, don’t have a ton of time to figure out their offseason plans.

And now it sounds like the Paul sweepstakes is underway.

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