Report: Chris Paul could end up with unexpected team

Chris Paul may be going from mentoring the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to mentoring the No. 3 overall pick.

The Portland Trail Blazers are among the teams who could be interested in signing the 12-time NBA All-Star guard Paul, Sam Amico of Hoops Wire reported on Tuesday. Amico notes that the Blazers would like to add a veteran guard to tutor 21-year-old Scoot Henderson.

Paul, now 40 years old, spent this season with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 8.8 points and 7.4 assists per game (while also remarkably starting in all 82 games). But a recent report cast major doubt on the possibility of Paul, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, returning to San Antonio next year.

As for the Blazers, they went 36-46 this season, which was a big improvement over their 21-61 record from the previous season. They obviously wouldn’t be able to offer Paul a chance to compete for an NBA title. But signing with the Spurs last offseason seemed to be an acknowledgement from Paul that championship contention is not necessarily the most important factor for him at this point.

Also working in Portland’s favor is their financial situation. They have a modest $170 million on their books for next season (with the potential to shed more salary by declining team options on multiple players), so the Blazers should be able to make a competitive contract offer for Paul.

Of course, actually convincing the 11-time All-NBA selection Paul to sign with them will be a tough task. For one, Paul also already has reported interest from a closer and more competitive NBA team.