Report: If Warriors waive CP3, Spurs could be suitor
Report: If Warriors waive CP3, Spurs could be suitor originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Chris Paul plans to play a 20th NBA season, and if it's not with the Warriors, he could find a new home with another team looking for veteran leadership.
The San Antonio Spurs "could emerge" as a possible suitor for Paul if the Warriors waive him by the June 28 deadline that guarantees his contract, NBC Sports contributor Marc Stein wrote on his Substack page (h/t Bleacher Report).
"A potential team to watch, should Paul and the Warriors part ways, is San Antonio," Stein said. "Among the early personnel rumbles in circulation: The Spurs could emerge as a Paul suitor if they decide to pursue some veteran know-how on a short-term contract basis to furnish presumptive Rookie of the Year winner Victor Wembanyama with more seasoned help in Year 2."
Paul's $30 million salary for the 2024-25 NBA season is non-guaranteed, and the Warriors have until June 28 to decide whether to keep the veteran point guard or move on and create salary cap space.
Paul's first -- and possibly only -- Warriors season ended with him missing the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Acquired from the Washington Wizards in a trade that sent Jordan Poole to D.C., Paul averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists in 58 games, including 40 contests coming off the bench. He missed about six weeks in the middle of the season because of a fractured left hand.
During his end-of-season media session on Wednesday following the Warriors' NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Kings the previous night, Paul sounded like someone who knows he might not be back next season.
“It was a unique experience,” Paul said. “I'm glad I got an opportunity to play with the guys that I did, get a chance to meet new people, play for an organization I never would have imagined I'd play for. But I'm grateful for the experience.”
A day later, general manager Mike Dunleavy left the door open to the possibility Paul returns to the Warriors next season, assuming the salary fits with what the team is trying to do.
"I think admittedly he probably wished he had a larger role and could help the team a little bit more, but I think moving forward because of his production and the guy can still do it and what he means to winning and all that stuff, we certainly have interest in bringing him back," Dunleavy told reporters.
“But like the puzzle stuff, we got to look at and figure out and see and there's definitely a viable path to do that, but we're not really down the road yet of like specifically what we can and can't do.”
Chances are, the only way the Warriors can bring Paul back is if they are able to negotiate a lower salary.
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