Chris Paul is getting older, and the Golden State Warriors surely can’t afford to keep him on a big contract for the upcoming season. If they allow him to enter free agency this summer, they will have fierce competition for the 39-year-old point guard.
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.
“If Chris Paul of the Warriors becomes a free agency this winter, the Spurs and the Lakers keep popping 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 contract for the next year becomes completely guaranteed. According to league insiders, the Warriors are presently considering such possibilities. Although the Warriors would want to give Paul $30 million and have found a method to do so, it would be reckless to do so, which is the team’s main issue with maintaining Paul.
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.
