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After the Golden State Warriors waived Chris Paul in a cost-cutting move, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed like a logical landing spot for the future Hall of Famer, given his home in the area and friendship with LeBron James.
Instead, Paul chose to sign a one-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, joining a young team that went just 22-60 last season.
“Chris Paul had a great talk with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and was sold on the culture and opportunity to help elevate the game of Victor Wembanyama,” Haynes reported. “CP is eager and motivated to showcase he’s still an elite guard in this league.”
This was a win for Paul, who gets $11-plus million (at least $7.4 million more than a veteran-minimum contract) and will likely be traded to a contender closer to the deadline.
It’s mainly a win for the Spurs’ young core, especially Victor Wembanyama and rookie Stephon Castle.
Wembanyama shot only 32.5 percent from three last season, but made 39.2 percent of his looks coming off passes from Tre Jones, San Antonio’s best option at point guard. Paul’s game has sharply declined now at age 39, but he’s still a terrific passer who will look to feed Wembanyama early and often. Castle, the Spurs’ potential long-term solution at the position, now gets to learn from one of the best point guards in the history of the NBA as well.
Paul has done wonders in recent years with young teams in Oklahoma City and Phoenix, serving as a mentor to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Devin Booker. The Spurs are lucky to have him.
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