Chris Paul agrees to one-year, $11 million deal with Spurs, will team with Wembanyama

Chris Paul went to Oklahoma City and helped Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a young team find their way, leading them to 44 wins while being an All-Star and All-NBA player. Then he left, went to a young Phoenix Suns team with Devin Booker in the backcourt and led them to the NBA Finals.

San Antonio is hoping Paul can bring some of that magic to Victor Wembanyama and a young Spurs team.

The Spurs agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract with Paul to be their point guard, a story told by Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT. He said CP3 had a long conversation with Gregg Popovich who convinced him to come to Texas.

The Spurs were linked to CP3 early on, when it became clear he was likely headed to free agency. Golden State waived Paul on Sunday, as expected, unwilling to pay his $30 million salary for next season. The Warriors and Paul had agreed to push back that deadline to be released by a few days while they tried to negotiate a trade for Paul George with the Clippers, but those talks never came to fruition.

That contract was higher than what other teams had offered the 39-year-old point guard, a 12-time All-Star. The Spurs have room to maneuver, and the new CBA provides real sanctions for teams that do not reach the salary floor (90% of the salary cap). The Spurs are also seeking one-year deals to fill out their roster, prioritizing room to maneuver in 2025 to be aggressive in upgrading the squad.

In addition to working with Wembanyama, Paul can mentor Stephon Castle, The Spurs’ No. 4 overall pick from UConn, who they hope can be the point guard of the future with the team, playing with Wembanyama.

If Paul can help this Spurs team exceed expectations, it will be another talking point for a Hall of Fame career for The Point God.