Warriors waive Chris Paul | Hoops Rumors

5:25 p.m.: The Warriors have officially waived Paul, the team confirmed (via Twitter).

4:45 p.m.: THE Warriors give up the leader Chris PaulChris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets. Paul will now become an unrestricted free agent once he clears waivers.

The Golden State Warriors had to make a decision today whether to guarantee Paul’s $30 million salary for the 2024-25 season. The Warriors and Paul agreed to push back the guarantee date from Friday to Sunday.

The Warriors had attempted to include Paul’s contract in a blockbuster deal, including a potential trade with the Clippers for Paul George. However, they could not achieve anything.

Paul, who turned 39 in May, has remained productive in 2023/24, averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game in 58 appearances (18 starts ) for the Warriors. He posted a shooting line of .441/.371/.827.

The rule prohibiting tax-exempt teams from signing an exempt player whose previous salary was above the full mid-level exception only applies if the player is released during the regular season. So Paul is free to sign with anyone.

THE Sunswho can only offer veteran minimum contracts, could be an option for Paul, although John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) dismissed the possibility. Lawnmowers have also been mentioned as a potential landing spot.

Another intriguing possibility is the Spursaccording to Marc Stein (Twitter link), who says San Antonio has “strong” interest. The 12-time All-Star could be a natural, albeit short-term, pick-and-roll partner for Victor WembanyamaThere will undoubtedly be other suitors for the future Hall of Famer.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are in the unusual position of being placed under the tax yoke by shedding Paul’s contract. They currently have $147.2 million in salary commitments between 12 players, or nearly $31 million under the first tax yoke, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. That puts them in position to potentially use the full mid-level exception and/or the biannual exception. Klay Thompson And Dario Saric are now free agents.