That news followed rumblings that the Boston Celtics could look to deal Kemba Walker this offseason.

Exhibit B was this year’s Suns, though they themselves proved down in Disney World that they can hang with the top teams in the Western Conference with a perfect 8-0 run through the seeding game slate.

That said, Paul now has them in a position to unseat LeBron James in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, something no team has ever done.

Paul is a proven playmaker that now serves as a stimulus to a team’s prospects of contending, especially given the 2018 Houston postseason playoff run that almost saw the Rockets take down the dynastic Golden State Warriors before Paul got injured.