NBA rumors: Spurs may pursue Chris Paul if he leaves the Warriors.
Chris Paul could be valuable to the Spurs, but could the San Antonio Spurs bring in the ball-handling maestro from the Warriors this offseason?
Even though Wembanyama was only his rookie season, he has already surpassed expectations beyond expectations.
While Wembanyama is a two-way threat and is on his way to becoming an unstoppable force, the San Antonio Spurs may not be able to improve last season's winning tally with him alone.
But it's clear that the Spurs are moving toward a return to the top of the Western Conference.
The next few years will determine how the Spurs build around Wembanyama, and there have been suggestions that they might go all-in on trading Trae Young, but that seems unlikely.
Instead, they may be looking for a veteran point guard who won't ask for a high salary like Young, and Chris Paul is a good choice.
NBA insider Mark Stein wrote: "If Paul and the Warriors go their separate ways, a potential team to watch is the San Antonio Spurs. In early personnel rumors, the Spurs could be a suitor for Paul if they decide to bring in some veteran experience on a short-term contract to provide more mature help to Victor Wembanyama, who is expected to win the Rookie of the Year award, in his second year. ”
The Spurs still have some holes to fill, and they're aiming to get back to championship contention.
Bringing in a playmaker who is a threat from the outside is essential, and while Tre Jones is a smart and passable player, the defense tends to overlook his presence beyond the three-point line, and Jeremy Sozan's attempts at point guard haven't been spectacular.
Chris Paul is approaching the age of 40, so one can worry about how much fighting power he has left.
But Paul helped most of his teams win, saving the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, taking the Houston Rockets to near-championship level and helping the transitioning Oklahoma City Thunder stay competitive.
For the Spurs, Paul should have some value.
The question now is, can San Antonio find a way to get the famous ball-handling maestro?
What will the Warriors do with Chris Paul's contract?
It will be interesting to see how the Warriors will respond in the offseason, with Chris Paul set to earn $30.8 million next season, but his contract is completely unwarranted.
The Warriors could choose to keep him and trade him to teams that need salary reductions so they could bring in more help, or clear his contract altogether to ease their salary burden.
Given the Warriors' status in the league today, it's unclear whether the owners will be willing to continue paying a record luxury tax.
But here's the problem: the Warriors will decide if they're willing to bring Klay Thompson back, and if they do, then they'll have to sacrifice some physicality again if they want to play Paul and Curry together.
Parting ways seems like the wisest option, which could open up the possibility that the Spurs will combine him with Victor Wembanyama.
San Antonio will have money to spend this offseason, so they may bring in Chris Paul, not only because young players can learn from him, but also because few players are as good at working with talented big men as he is.
Paul made DeAndre Ayton look like a millionaire, and the same was true for DeAndre Jordan, who had the best years of his career in the years that David West had alongside Paul.
Even later in his career, Paul can still help Wembanyama reach his best, paving the way for the Spurs to carve out an unstoppable force for the next decade or more.
In short, the Warriors don't have the money to pay the luxury tax on Paul's contract, and it's a good fit for Wembanyama, so why don't the Spurs sign it?