This is a prediction.
In a surprising turn of events, Chris Paul is now a free agent after being sent home by the Los Angeles Clippers.
With that being the case, the Minnesota Timberwolves could be a good fit as a team for him to spend the rest of the season with.
To get some background on the situation regarding Paul, here’s what Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN had to say:
“Paul and his leadership style clashed with Lue and the Clippers, according to sources, who told Charania that the 12-time All-Star was vocal in holding management, coaches and players accountable. The Clippers believed Paul’s style had become disruptive, sources told Charania.”
There’s no debating that Paul is one of the best point guards of all time, but at this point, he’s not an elite player anymore. With that being said, just because Paul didn’t work out with Tyronn Lue and the Clippers doesn’t mean he can’t work out with another team
Let’s explore why the Timberwolves should sign Paul as soon as possible.
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Minnesota Timberwolves Will Sign Chris Paul
With the Clippers, Paul didn’t have much of a role at all. Through 16 games, Paul was averaging 14.3 minutes a night, in which he had 2.9 PPG, 3.3 AST, and 1.8 REB. Not exactly the most impressive stats.
However, these numbers may be a bit misleading, given that Paul clearly wasn’t in a great situation. If you go back to just last season with the San Antonio Spurs, Paul’s numbers were much better.
That year, Paul had 8.8 PPG, 7.4 AST, and 3.6 REB in 28 MPG. While Paul wasn’t scoring much, he proved that he can still help a team out with his playmaking abilities.
How Chris Paul Fits on The Minnesota Timberwolves
Right now, the Timberwolves are a contending team, but they are struggling a bit, as shown by their 13-8 record. Paul would only make sense for a team with championship aspirations, and Minnesota fits that bill.
As of now, the Timberwolves’ point guards are a mix of Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Donte DiVincenzo, and Bones Hyland. Of the four, Hyland is the most obvious replacement among everyone on the Timberwolves’ roster right now.
Hyland has now played 200 career games without showing much promise of being a reliable contributor. Although he is only 25 years old, it’s not as if this is his first year in the NBA.
The time for the Timberwolves to win is right now, with Anthony Edwards in his prime. Although the Timberwolves aren’t in a spot where they need to go all in, it would make a lot of sense for this organization to make some win-now moves.
If Paul looks like the player he was with the Spurs, he could provide some valuable minutes at PG, and that would significantly help the Timberwolves’ playoff chances.
It’s not impossible that Paul just decides to retire at this point, but if he wants to keep playing, the Timberwolves seem like the most realistic option.
Chris Paul Stats
Paul has been in the NBA for 21 years now, and his stats are fantastic at this point. Over Paul’s career, he’s averaged 16.8 PPG, 9.2 AST, and 4.4 REB.
While Paul has never really been an elite scorer, he was able to do so at a high level at his peak. Even when Paul started to get older, and his scoring was starting to decline, his ability to pass has remained fantastic throughout his entire career.