A $34 Million Star ask him self, should he go to Spurs or another team.
The Golden State Warriors will likely face fierce competition for the 39-year-old point guard if they allow Chris Paul to enter free agency this summer. The team cannot afford to maintain the aging point guard on a high-paying contract for the upcoming season.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who presently work with Paul’s close friend LeBron James, are already among the teams that are probably going to ask about Paul’s services. But on Friday, May 24, via “The Stein Line,” NBA expert Marc Stein added the San Antonio Spurs to that list.
A $34 Million Star ask him self, should he go to Spurs or another team.
“If Chris Paul of the Warriors becomes a free agency this offseason, the Spurs and the Lakers keep coming up as possible suitors,” Stein wrote. “On June 28, if Golden State does not waive Paul or if the Warriors trade him to a team that chooses to keep him, his $30 million salary for the upcoming campaign becomes completely guaranteed. According to league insiders, the Warriors are presently considering those possibilities.
A $34 Million Star ask him self, should he go to Spurs or another team.
Although the Warriors would like to give Paul $30 million and have found a way to do so, it would be reckless to do so, which is the team’s main issue with maintaining Paul.
A $34 Million Star ask him self, should he go to Spurs or another team.
Golden State was an NBA Play-In Tournament squad that finished two wins shy of making the real playoffs. The core of the team consists of two elite players who are getting into their late 30s and three or four young players who have all shown promise but not yet reached their full potential as stars.
The Warriors might also attempt to hold onto Klay Thompson in order to maintain the Big 3 until each player’s career concludes. Spending $30 million on a backup point guard who is getting close to 40 is simply a poor business move for a team that may already be facing a hefty luxury tax charge, regardless of whether the Dubs pay Thompson to return or not.
A $34 Million Star ask him self, should he go to Spurs or another team.
Is Paul still able to have a significant impact on winning? is the question that contending teams, or those hoping to contend next season, need to ask themselves. Given that he spent the majority of the previous season playing second fiddle to Golden State’s starter Steph Curry, it’s difficult to predict exactly what he will bring to the floor each and every night if he returns to a starting role.
Paul had 18 starts in 58 games during the regular season. In 26.4 minutes per night, he averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, according to Basketball Reference. The 12-time All-Star’s career stats, which include 17.5 points, 9.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 34.1 minutes of play, are all lower than those numbers.
If the point guard were to sign with the Lakers and take on a starting role once more, his statistical totals would probably rise. But Paul is a riskier bet because he has also been prone to injuries recently, especially during the postseason.
