Report: Chris Paul to Have Surgery on Wrist Injury, Be Ready for Training Camp

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Point guard Chris Paul underwent left wrist surgery but is expected to be healthy for training camp, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated.

“Paul had the wrist surgery recently after the NBA Finals, the source said,” Spears wrote. “The 36-year-old was seen wearing tape on his left wrist during the 2020 NBA Finals.”

Paul also missed the first two games of the Western Conference Finals for the Phoenix Suns after being placed in the health and safety protocols. He told reporters after returning for Game 3 that “s–t happens, and it did,” about testing positive for COVID-19. 

Outside of that eight-day absence, Paul was able to stay healthy for the Suns all season in their run to the NBA Finals. The 11-time All-Star only missed two games during the regular season. He had a profound impact on the franchise since being acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in November. 

Phoenix earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 51-21 record. Paul averaged 16.4 points on 49.9 percent shooting, 8.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 70 starts.

However, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the point guard is an unrestricted free agent this offseason after declining his $44.2 million player option for the 2021-22 campaign.