Benzinga | Jun 16, 2021 10:49AM EDT

Chris Paul Enters COVID Health And Safety Protocol: What Does This Mean For The Phoenix Suns?

Second-team All-NBA point guard Chris Paul was placed in the NBA's health and safety protocol Wednesday morning and is out indefinitely, according to The Athletic. This comes after the Phoenix Suns' second-round sweep of the Denver Nuggets.

Why It Matters: Chris Paul has led this Phoenix team, alongside Devin Booker, to the no. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the second-best record in the NBA and legitimate NBA Championship contenders. There is serious concern over his availability to play in the Western Conference Finals against either the Utah Jazz or Los Angeles Clippers.

The NBA's health and safety protocols have changed as a result of the vaccination rates in the United States and if Paul is vaccinated (which is unknown), he might be able to leave the protocol early.

One of the greatest point guards in NBA history, Paul has only made the conference finals once in his career, in 2018 as a member of the Houston Rockets. As he gets older in age, this may be his last chance to win the elusive NBA Championship.

Paul has averaged 15.7 points and 8.7 assists in the playoffs, including 25.5 points and a 41-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio in the Suns' sweep of the Nuggets in round two.

Betting Odds: Both DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG) and the Barstool Sportsbook are currently no longer offering Western Conference or NBA Championship futures as a result of this news.

Photo credit: Josh Knowles