Departure of Rubio, Oubre in return for Chris Paul ‘tough’ for Suns players

The Phoenix Suns were thrilled to acquire 10-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul, as they should be.

But the cost of doing business was cutting out two core pieces that played a big part in turning things around last season, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Ricky Rubio, plus two rookies, Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque.

That’s mixing in some emotional highs and lows for the remaining pieces of the core.

“It was really tough,” wing Mikal Bridges said Tuesday. “It was a weird mix of emotions having your friends and teammates and people you are close with gone but getting a Hall of Fame point guard like Chris Paul. It was tough. You didn’t know how to feel. It was really weird seeing Kelly, Ty, Jalen, Ricky — not being around them no more. Knowing that you’re not going to be on the same team anymore.”

For Cam Johnson, the trade had an extra impact on him because he went through rookie seasons with Jerome and Lecque.

“This is the first business of the NBA kind of hitting you full speed, when it just happens quick … When it happens, reality sets in,” he said Wednesday. “And it’s like, guys like Ricky, Kelly, Ty, Jalen: I came into the league with Ty and Jalen, Kelly another wing with us, Ricky the point guard — guys that you played so much with, having to see them go, it’s tough. Finishing my first year, that was the first time that the reality of that really hit me.

“But then on the flip side, you get a guy like Chris, which is invaluable. You can’t put a value to that, somebody to learn from, somebody to play with.”

Third-year center Deandre Ayton was particularly close with Oubre, who Ayton said he’s not all that worried about.

“I know my boy wherever he goes, that’s KO. You gonna love KO regardless, whether you like it or not. You’re gonna love KO,” he said Thursday. “Unfortunately, that’s my dude, and what we had going on, it didn’t happen. But at the end of the day, my boy went to a good situation and he’s still in the league. We still get to play basketball. I’m happy for him and he’s gonna bring his swag wherever he goes.”

Oubre spent a season-and-a-half with the Suns, and Rubio was only a year in, but they were there at the beginning of head coach Monty Williams’ process. That’s a process that brought a positive shift the organization hasn’t seen in the five years Devin Booker has been in Phoenix.

Booker spoke on the importance someone like Rubio had on the team and him personally. He made sure to call Rubio after the trade was announced to let him know that.

“I just thanked him for being a part of that, coming here and changing that culture, showing what an NBA team and having a leader around that’s gonna come in here and work hard every day and try to compete,” he said. “I’ll never forget what he’s done for my career.”

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