Why Spurs Should Sign Chris Paul If Cut by Suns
The San Antonio Spurs are just two weeks away from taking Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick.
While Wembanyama is expected to hold down the fort at the center position for years to come, the Spurs still need a point guard to help him out. While Chris Paul isn't a long-term option for the Spurs, he may be looking for a new home after conflicting reports came out about his future with the San Antonio Spurs.
Paul, 38, has two years left on his contract with the Suns, but he's only guaranteed part of his salary this season, while all of his money next year isn't guaranteed. This means that the Suns and Paul could be heading for divorce.
"If the Suns want to dump Chris Paul this offseason, the Spurs should offer to absorb him into their cap space," CBS Sports tweeted. "He only has one guaranteed year on his deal. Ask Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Devin Booker what a great mentor he can be for a young star."
The Spurs can afford Paul's contract with their oodles of cap space, and having a veteran of his stature could do wonders for a young team, and a budding star like Wembanyama. In every stop along his 18-year NBA career, Paul has left a place better than how he found it.
He led the New Orleans Hornets to the No. 2 seed in the West, pushed the Los Angeles Clippers to multiple deep playoff runs, positioned the Houston Rockets one game away from the NBA Finals before a brutal injury, shocked the world with the Oklahoma City Thunder and catapulted the Suns to 65 wins. Now, one can only imagine what he can do with Wembanyama and the upstart Spurs.
Paul may be a short-term investment, and perhaps the money shelled out to him would hinder the opportunity to give a chunky, four-year deal to a prized free agent this year that would be better for the future, but the Spurs don't need to compete for an NBA championship next season. It would be far from the expectation, but if Paul was in the fold, the Spurs would be closer to competing for one.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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