Chris Paul went to Oklahoma City and helped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a young roster start to find their way, lifting them to 44 wins while being an All-Star and All-NBA player. He then left, went to a young Phoenix Suns team with Devin Booker in the backcourt, and led them to the NBA Finals.
San Antonio hopes Paul can bring some of that magic to Victor Wembanyama and a young Spurs team.
The Spurs have agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract with Paul to be their point guard, a story broken by Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT. He said CP3 had a long conversation with Gregg Popovich that convinced him to come to Texas.
Chris Paul had a great talk with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and was sold on the culture and opportunity to help elevate the game of Victor Wembanyama. CP is eager and motivated to showcase he’s still an elite guard in this league. https://t.co/SUgdpWviVQ
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2024
The Spurs were linked to CP3 early on when it became clear he was likely headed for the free-agent market. Golden State waived Paul Sunday, as expected, not wanting to pay his $30 million salary for next season. The Warriors and Paul had agreed to push back that deadline to be waived a couple of days as they tried to work out a Paul George trade with the Clippers, but those talks never came together.
That contract was more than other teams offered the 39-year-old, 12-time All-Star point guard. The Spurs have cap space, and the new CBA has real punishments for teams that don’t reach the salary floor (90% of the salary cap). The Spurs are also looking for one-year deals to round out their roster, prioritizing cap space in 2025 to be aggressive in upgrading the roster.
More than just working with Wembanyama, Paul can mentor Stephon Castle, the No. 4 pick of the Spurs out of UConn, who they hope can be the point guard of the future with the team, playing with Wembanyama.
If Paul can help this Spurs team best expectations, it will be another talking point for a Hall of Fame career for The Point God.