NBA reporter Mark Stein recently reported that the Spurs have reached out to Chris Paul to offer him a suitable long-term contract to serve as a mentor to Rookie Benyama, and Paul himself has expressed his willingness to consider the offer.
Warriors management wants Paul to stay, but not on a final year of $30.8 million contract, and general manager Mike Dunleavy has until June 28 to decide either to give up Paul's contract for next season and cut him or trade Paul back for some usable assets. Paul himself has long made it clear that he will definitely continue to return next season, and he has no plans to retire for the time being, and still takes the championship as his goal, and he has not had time to seriously consider it in the face of the Spurs' warm invitation, but he has not refused.
The Spurs have just started the rebuilding process, and Wembanyama played in 71 games in his first year as a rookie, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, showing his superstar nature. Wembanyama has grown steadily under Popovich's tutelage, and the Spurs have a chance to pick up another high draft pick this year, rebuilding much faster than expected. Mark Stein said Popovich plans to bring in an experienced veteran to further help Wembanyama grow and young players who could join the team in the future.
If Paul decides to leave the Warriors, the Spurs will immediately offer a three-year contract. Mark Stein revealed that Spurs management got in touch with Paul and the two sides had an initial conversation. Paul has a lot of respect for head coach Popovich and is interested in joining the Spurs. However, both the Spurs and Paul will need to be patient, and the Warriors management has not yet made a final decision on how to handle Paul's contract. Another possibility is not ruled out, the Spurs and the Warriors to get Paul through a trade, and then re-sign Paul to a multi-year contract.
Paul appeared in 58 appearances with the Warriors in his 19th career season, averaging a career-low 26.4 minutes per game. Obviously, Paul is no longer the super point guard who can dominate the game, averaging 9.2 points and 6.8 assists per game as a good bench, and the impact of the game is far less than in his prime. Popovich doesn't expect Paul to improve the Spurs' record, he values Paul's career experience, leadership in the locker room, and mentoring young players on and off the court.
The Warriors' role for Paul is that of a courtside teacher, mentoring rookies like Jonathan Kuminga, Podemski and Tress Jackson-Davis, as Paul himself said, "A lot of people have taught me things that I can't keep to myself." I try to teach young people tips on how to play, how to prepare for it, how to approach their careers. Paul is also aware that the Spurs only have three players over the age of 25, and it would be beneficial for both parties to join this team, and he has the ability to help the Spurs rebuild a dynasty team.
You can imagine the burst of energy brought by Paul leading Wembanyama to play, and a simple blocking and pick-and-roll tactic can improve Wembanyama's offensive energy. Spurs executives believe Paul could be Wembanyama's best teacher for the next two or three years. It is tentatively expected that the Spurs will use the full mid-range exception to offer Paul a three-year, $45 million contract, which is the maximum contract that the Spurs can offer Paul under the league's current collective bargaining agreement.
However, Paul has not given up on the pursuit of a championship, his 19-year career is empty-handed, he is eager to wear a championship ring before retiring, and the Warriors have not yet made a decision, Paul is noncommittal about the Spurs' kind invitation. Paul's signing to the Spurs is not completely out of the way to chase a championship, with Wembanyama's pace of progress, the Spurs' rebuild has every chance to be completed ahead of schedule, and bringing in a superstar to join Wembanyama is not completely out of the question.