In the early hours of this morning, the NBA free trade market officially opened. On the first free trade day, many teams have completed contract extensions with their core guards, such as the Clippers signed Harden for two years and 70 million, and the Pistons renewed Cunningham ahead of schedule with a five-year salary of 226 million. Of course, there are also a number of stars who have opted to become free agents and are ready to seek bigger contracts in the free market, most notably Klay Thompson and Paul George. The other 39-year-old Chris Paul was cut by the Warriors and became a full free agent, and the Spurs quickly reached an agreement with Paul to sign a one-year contract with an annual salary of 11 million, and the 39-year-old Paul will officially join forces with Wembanyama next season.
On the first trading day, the news of Paul's arrival at Spurs undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention. Last summer, the Warriors traded Paul back for a young Poole, but the Warriors stopped in the play-in tournament last season and didn't qualify for the playoffs, let alone go further. After a losing season, the Warriors decided not to execute Paul's $30 million contract for next season, after all, the two-year contract itself is not guaranteed, so the Warriors don't need to pay him salary to cut him.
In fact, it makes sense that the Warriors chose to cut Paul at this time and make Klay a complete free agent. Paul's annual salary was $30.8 million last season and $30 million for the new season, which means that if the Warriors keep Paul, it means that the Warriors will pay the previous unguaranteed annual salary of $30 million next season. But a practical question is in front of the Warriors, Paul is 39 years old and will turn 40 next season, is the 40-year-old Paul still worth the price for the Warriors? And Paul only played 58 games last season, averaging only 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, the scoring has dropped to a career low, and the average assists per game is only 0.1 times higher than the season he played for the Thunder, so the Warriors really dare not risk it for Paul.
Long before the trade day began, the Warriors reached a verbal agreement with Paul to delay the guaranteed date of next season's $30 million salary by one day. However, the Warriors still chose to cut Paul, which could save a lot of salary after all. Through Popovich's communication with Paul, Paul was attracted by the Spurs' culture and opportunities, he could help Wembanyama improve the game, while he was still eager and motivated to prove that he is still the league's best point guard, and the two sides quickly agreed that Paul would join forces with the young champion Wembanyama to inject new vitality into the Spurs' new season.
Drafted by the Pelicans in the summer of 2005, Paul has been known for his excellent ball handling and passing skills since his first season in the league, and has grown into an All-Star guard in New Orleans. After 6 seasons with the Pelicans, Paul joined the Clippers and joined Griffin, and his arrival made the Clippers quickly famous as an empty city, but he never reached the Western Conference Finals in the full 6 seasons of the Clippers, which also became a lingering shadow of his career.
In order to chase the championship dream, Paul chose to join the Rockets in the summer of 2017 and officially formed a "light bulb" combination with Harden in his prime. In the first season the two teamed up, the Rockets won the first record in the league, and Paul also touched the floor of the Western Conference for the first time in his career. Under the leadership of Paul and Harden, the Rockets easily reached the Western Conference Finals, facing the "Cosmic Brave" with Durant, Splash Brothers, and Green, and the Rockets led the Warriors 3-2 after the first five games. At this time, Paul missed the last two games due to injury, and the Rockets were also reversed because of Paul's absence and missed the Finals.
The losing Rockets regressed the following season, but they were still seen as the best team to stop the Warriors, and this time they met in the Western Conference semifinals. The first four games were evenly matched, the Warriors relied on home-court advantage to win Tianwang Mountain, and thought that the Rockets would drag the game into a tie-break again, but they lost in the sixth game, and at the end of the season, the Rockets sent Paul to the Thunder in exchange for Wei Shao. After a frustrating season for the Thunder, the devastated Suns threw an olive branch to Paul, and the choice proved to be a success.
In their first season with the Suns, the Suns' record has taken a qualitative leap, and they finished second in the West with a 51-21 record, helping the Suns enter the playoffs again after many years. Although they faced the defending champion Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, the Suns defeated the Lakers 4-2 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. In the subsequent game, the Suns swept the Nuggets 4-0, and then eliminated the Clippers 4-2 in the Western Conference finals to enter the Finals, which is also the only time Paul has stood on the stage of the Finals so far. In the first two games of the finals, the Suns led the Bucks 2-0, but then the Suns were beaten by the Bucks for 4 consecutive games, and the Suns finally won 2-4 to the overall runner-up.
The following season, the Suns made a comeback, not only finishing first in the league, but also setting the best regular season record in franchise history. I thought the Suns would easily reach the Finals, but they lost to the Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs after a tiebreaker and went out in disgrace. The following season, the Suns failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs, even though they traded for Durant in the middle of the season. After falling in the semifinals for two consecutive seasons, the Suns owner chose to send Paul away in exchange for a younger Beal. Paul who was traded did not settle in the Wizards, but was sent to the Warriors by the Wizards, and after a season of proven, the Warriors are not the best place for Paul.
Next season, Paul will be in his 20th season and seventh in his career, and each of his transfers brings a different story and challenges. However, as he got older and the impact of injuries, his form began to fluctuate. In his final season with the Warriors, the team ultimately opted to cut him, even though he remained dedicated. However, Paul was not discouraged by this, and he still maintained his love for basketball and his desire to win. On the first day of free agency, he agreed a one-year contract with the Spurs for an annual salary of up to $11 million. This contract is not only a recognition of his personal ability, but also an expectation of his future potential.
The Spurs are a team with a long history, and they have produced many great players, such as Duncan, Parker, Robinson, Leonard, Ginobili and other good players. The Spurs have been on a downward spiral since the retirement of GDP, but coach Popovich remains the head coach of the Spurs, having coached the Spurs for 28 seasons and is the longest-serving head coach in the entire NBA league. Today, Popovich is 75 years old, but he still hasn't expressed his desire to retire.
Last summer, the Spurs drafted the talented Wembanyama, who has great physical attributes and gifted basketball skills. After joining the Spurs, he quickly became one of the team's core players, and after a season of hard work, Wembanyama won the regular season rookie of the year without any suspense. However, as a young player, he still needs more experience and guidance to improve his game. And Paul's arrival will undoubtedly provide him with such an opportunity. Now that the Spurs have welcomed Paul, a seasoned veteran, it will undoubtedly further enhance Wembanyama's game experience and ability to read the game.
The combination of Paul and Wembanyama can be said to be a combination of old and new, complementing each other's strengths. Paul has a wealth of game experience and excellent ball handling, and he can provide consistent playmaking and attack for the team on the field. Wembanyama, on the other hand, has excellent physical attributes and gifted basketball skills, and he can provide the team with strong scoring and defensive ability on the court. The two will undoubtedly greatly improve the strength of the Spurs. Paul's arrival will undoubtedly give Spurs a big boost next season, and we are very much excited to see what kind of visual impact Paul and Wembanyama will bring us.
In addition to Paul joining the Spurs, the whereabouts of Klay Thompson and Paul George are also in the spotlight. According to the current news, Klay will leave the Warriors, and the 13-year partnership of the Splash Brothers will officially disintegrate. Last season, Klay's competitive level plummeted, and in the play-off game against the Kings, Klay scored 0 of 10 points in the game, and his reluctance to leave the scene after the game also made fans heartbroken. In fact, the Warriors planned to renew Klay's contract before this, but the annual salary was only about 20 million, which was far from the 43.22 million last season, and Klay felt that he could obviously get a bigger contract with his ability, so he and the Warriors were looking for an opportunity to sign and trade.
Judging from the current shape, Klay will meet with the Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers, and 76ers in the future, and the Magic is also a potential object of pursuit. It is expected that Clay's next home will be finalized in the next two days, and we wish Clay can find his next home and debut with a new look next season.
Plus, it's unlikely that Paul George will return to the Clippers. George's agent had a brief communication with the Clippers president and failed to reach a contract extension, and both sides agreed that George was unlikely to return to the Clippers. The Clippers traded for Harden from the 76ers last season, but the Big Four Clippers were eliminated by the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs and failed to play satisfactorily for several seasons, so Paul George decided to find another way. According to the latest news, George will meet with the Magic and the 76ers, and George and the 76ers are likely to reach an agreement directly, because the 76ers have prepared a four-year, 212 million contract for George, and there are still the Great and Maxey waiting for his arrival.
After a losing season, the Clippers chose to keep Harden and let Paul George go. In addition, Willow exercised a $4 million player option to stay with the Clippers, who are currently looking for a trade to send Willow away. Last season, Wei Shao averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 45.4% from the field, and despite his hard work, the Clippers did not seem to have any intention of keeping him. At the same time, the Clippers are also looking to trade PJ Tucker, who previously exercised an 11.5 million player option. Tucker was traded to the Clippers with Harden last season, and after being traded to the Clippers, he played in a total of 28 games, averaging 15 minutes per game, scoring 1.6 points and 2.5 rebounds, and it is estimated that he is not in the Clippers' future plans.
The door to the free trade market for the new season has been opened, and there will be a lot of transfers to be finalized in the coming period, and at this time of year, teams will be especially active in the trade market. At the end of the day, the NBA league is a business after all, and when it comes to honors, it is the team's goal to get the greater good of the team.