The NBA future of Chris Paul is certainly up in the air. With the Golden State Warriors being eliminated by the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Warriors are starting their offseason tasks earlier than they had hoped.
While a lot of attention is being given to Klay Thompson, and rightfully so, Paul is another veteran who could end up being on the move. His contract for the 2024-25 season, the last on his deal, is non-guaranteed, so there is a chance that the Warriors opt to move on from him to save some money.
Paul had some ups and downs with Golden State this season, producing some of the lowest statistics of his career. For the first time in the NBA, and maybe in his entire basketball career, he was coming off the bench.
He took the role change well, and when his number was called, Steve Kerr could rely on him to get the team where they needed to be offensively. But, it seems pretty clear that Paul’s days of being a starter are behind him.
Turning 39 in May, Paul is nearing the end of his career. But, it will continue for at least one more season. Tuesday’s loss to the Kings is not the end of his career, as Paul revealed he has no plans on retiring.
“I’ll talk to my wife and my kids, my family, my support system, see what it looks like,” Paul told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “But this isn’t (the end of my career). I know it for sure.”
It will be interesting to see how the 2024 NBA offseason plays out for Paul. His willingness to come off the bench this season should result in a larger market in free agency as teams know he is willing to play that role if necessary.
You can certainly do worse than a future Hall of Famer as your backup point guard. He can still start games in a pinch and remains an efficient shooter, knocking down 37.1 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.
“I haven’t thought about it,” Paul said of free agency, via Slater. “I’m too in it. I was in the gym at 8 a.m. this morning, lifting and getting ready for this game. When it’s time for that, (GM Mike Dunleavy Jr.) and (coach Steve Kerr), we’ll have a conversation and see what it looks like. But I loved it. It’s honestly — this is my fifth year living without my family — I probably saw them more than any other year.”
The only thing missing from Paul’s impressive NBA career is a championship. Expect him to seek out a contending team with a need in their backcourt, as he wants to contribute to a championship-winning team, not sit on the bench and ride the coattails of his teammates.
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