The San Antonio Spurs and soon-to-be free agent Chris Paul might be eyeballing one another as a potential match heading into the 2017-18 NBA season.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe spoke to the “rumblings” that Paul and the Spurs could be a thing this summer.
“There’s been a lot of rumblings about Chris Paul, and I think that’s real,” Lowe said in an interview with ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz on his podcast. “I think there’s mutual interest there. I don’t know how real it is given the Clippers can offer a gigantic amount of money and are also a really good team; and the Spurs, like I said, have no sort of cap flexibility to get there. I’m very curious about what they do this summer and who’s on the team next year.”
The Spurs are still one of the top teams in the west, but even if Kawhi Leonard hadn’t gotten hurt it’s a stretch to think they would have beaten the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. Tony Parker just isn’t the same guy who helped San Antonio win four NBA titles, now at the age of 35. Patty Mills is solid, but he’s not going to consistently do enough to counterbalance the elite guards of the Western Conference.
So the Spurs need to do something to shore up their backcourt. Adding Paul would be a terrific move to help San Antonio stay among the elite in the brutal Western Conference.
Paul, a nine-time All-Star, averaged 18.1 points, 9.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 61 games.
He is 32 years old and has a limited window with which to chase an NBA championship. We already know the formula isn’t working in Los Angeles. Now we’ll see if he’s more interested in making the most money or chasing a ring.