Chris Paul may be available this offseason if he is cut by the Phoenix Suns. Many teams will look to sign Paul, as he is still a great leader and a solid player despite being 38 years old. But should the Spurs look into signing the veteran point guard?
Why the Spurs Should Sign Chris Paul
Chris Paul is one of the best point guards of all-time. He is coming off of a season in Phoenix where he averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists in 59 games.
The Spurs are a week away from selecting Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the NBA Draft. They may look to add some veterans to the roster to help mentor Wemby, Chris Paul being a fit for that plan.
In his career, he led the then-New Orleans Hornets to the two seed in the West. Paul pushed the Clippers to multiple deep playoff runs. He helped lead the Rockets to being one game away from the NBA Finals if not for an untimely injury. He also led the Suns to 65 wins and an NBA Finals appearance.
The Spurs are also looking for a starting point guard for next season, and have plenty of cap space to sign one.. Tre Jones will be a restricted free agent this offseason. Paul would slot in as the starting point guard and veteran leader of the team.
Paul mentored Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and now they are two of the best players in the NBA. He would be able to mentor Wembanyama, Vassell, Keldon and all of the other young players that the Spurs have on their roster.
Why the Spurs Should Not Sign Chris Paul
Despite being 38 years old with his prime is behind him, Paul may also look for another large contract if cut by Phoenix.
Paul also has been injury prone over the last few seasons. He has not played more than 70 games in a season since 2015-16 with the Clippers. He is also coming off of a season where he played only 59 games and missed the playoffs for the Suns.
The Spurs are also looking to get even younger. They already have one of the youngest rosters in the league, but the Spurs are looking to get a young starting points guard.
Although he would bring a veteran presence to the team, the Spurs don’t really need it. They already are coached by the longest tenured coach in NBA history in Gregg Popovich. They also have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to mentor Wemby as there are reports of them wanting to do so.
Final Decision
Although Chris Paul would help the Spurs, he is just not the right fit in San Antonio. Paul is out of his prime and his health is a question mark.
They don’t need him to help mentor and he may be looking for a larger contract than what he is worth. If they can sign him for cheap, they should add him, but if he is looking for a big contract, they should be out.
The Spurs should probably focus on getting younger and bringing bringing in a young starting point guard that can grow with Wembanyama.
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Featured image courtesy of NBA.com.
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