After a 2016-17 campaign that ended in disappointment yet again for the Los Angeles Clippers, point guard Chris Paul is going to have one of the most important offseasons of his career. After not reaching the Western Conference Finals even once during his stint in LA despite having ample talent surrounding him, Paul will most likely value winning over other factors once he hits free agency this coming offseason.
Whether Paul thinks the Clippers give him the best shot to make a championship run or he’d rather go elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs have been the team most heavily linked to the 9-time all-star.
Already rostering a team talented enough to reach the conference finals as they did this season, the addition of CP3 would almost certainly challenge the juggernaut known as the Golden State Warriors. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, not only does Paul know how enticing of an option San Antonio is, but the Clippers are also well aware of the threat the Spurs pose at luring away their franchise point guard this summer.
The San Antonio Spurs are exploring the feasibility of making a free-agent run at All-Star point guard Chris Paul, league sources told ESPN.
Sources say the Los Angeles Clippers, meanwhile, regard the threat of San Antonio signing away Paul as a legitimate concern, even though the Spurs, at present, have virtually no salary-cap flexibility.
Chris Paul playing under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio could be a terrifying scenario for the rest of the West. Joining the Spurs would likely give Paul a better shot at a championship run than if he signed with any other team not named the Cavaliers or Warriors.
While centerpiece Kawhi Leonard has elevated himself into the absolute top tier of stars in this league, the lack of secondary options was blatant when he went down with an ankle injury. Adding a true point guard like Paul would take the offense to new levels and his fit in Coach Pop’s system would be seamless.
With the end of his career on the horizon, Paul knows he has a closing window to leave a winning legacy behind. With the offseason just around the corner, it appears that both him and his current club are more than aware that the Spurs would give him the best opportunity to do just that.
