San Antonio Spurs fans were recently treated to a former rival making a fool of themselves when the L.A. Clippers decided to part ways with legend Chris Paul. Although Paul is technically still on the Clippers, they sent him home after being upset that he was too vocal about his criticisms of the team.
In Paul’s defense, they’re the Clippers. They were just 5-16 at the time and headed nowhere fast. What’s so surprising is the fact that they chose to essentially dismiss a franchise legend during what was likely his retirement tour. Their loss. That potentially opens the door for a Spurs reunion with Paul, who played 82 games with the franchise last season.
Bringing Paul back, in theory, would be helpful considering that he served as a great mentor for the Spurs’ young players, specifically Steph Castle. Having Paul return would mean that he could resume that role, not to mention mentor Dylan Harper, who wasn’t on the team last season when Paul played.
His personality can be grating at times. But even after Paul left, there weren’t any reports of either the team or players having any issues with him during his time with the Spurs. That means that his criticisms and mentorship were both appreciated and listened to, and it’s likely that he left San Antonio in good standing, which could potentially leave the door open for him to return.
Clippers just gifted Spurs Chris Paul as the perfect trade target
Paul would technically have to be traded and can only be moved after December 15th. In that case, San Antonio could trade Jordan McLaughlin straight up for Paul and bring him back to be the team’s third-string point guard.
That alone likely wouldn’t move the needle, with Paul’s play having dropped off significantly between last season and now. Even so, he could be a secret weapon for the Spurs long-term.
After all, despite spending just one season as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, they still have him partially to thank for the emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Paul mentored Alexander, and Alexander quickly took off in the seasons following Paul’s departure.
Hopefully Paul could do the same thing for Castle and Harper, quickly transforming those two promising prospects into legit stars in short order. Doing so could help San Antonio both challenge and quickly surpass the Thunder, who are the current reigning champions and on pace to win more than 70 games this season.
With OKC looking like a dynasty in the making, San Antonio will have to think outside the box to try and close the gap between them and the Thunder. If Paul can instill some wisdom in Castle and Harper as well as mentor the young players such as Victor Wembanyama and Carter Bryant, then he could be well worth bringing back.
That assumes that he’s interested and that he’s willing to play a much smaller role than he did last season. If he is, San Antonio should absolutely trade for him when he officially becomes available to be moved.