SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chris Paul is 11 hours away from the end of his 19th NBA season. He is less than a month away from turning 39. Later that night, the Sacramento Kings beat them 118-94, an elimination that also called Paul’s immediate future into question.
But one thing is clear: Paul is not retiring. He’s going to be playing his 20th NBA season somewhere.
“I’ll talk to my wife, my kids, my family, my support system and see what it looks like,” Paul told Competitor. “But it’s not (the end of my career). I know that for sure.
Paul is still signed with the Warriors next season, but with a necessary caveat. His entire $30 million deal is non-guaranteed. Part of the reason the Warriors traded Jordan Poole for Paul last offseason was that it would provide financial flexibility this summer. The Warriors could use it as a trade tool or wipe all $30 million off the books before it’s guaranteed on June 28.
These options and decisions will be explored in the coming weeks. But Joe Lacob and the Warriors’ ownership group have expressed a desire to avoid a second pad or even avoid the luxury tax altogether, thus resetting the minute repeater. To achieve this, significant salary cuts will be required. Tuesday’s elimination round — capping off a tumultuous 46-win season with a No. 10 seed and zero playoff home games — only seemed to accelerate the desire for a financial pullback.
As a result, Paul’s future with the Warriors is as uncertain (perhaps less likely) than any other player leaving the locker room late Tuesday night.
“I haven’t thought about it yet,” Paul said. “I’m involved in that too. I was in the gym at 8 o’clock this morning lifting weights and getting ready for this game. When that time comes, Mike (Dunleavy) and Steve (Kerr), we’ll have a conversation and see what happens. What it’s like. But I love it, honestly, this is my fifth year without my family and I’ve probably seen them more than any other year.
That’s because of the proximity to Los Angeles and because of Kerr’s open culture. Family members are more welcome inside the Warriors building and around the team than is typical in the NBA.
“That’s probably the thing I appreciate most about everything, is the communication that lets me know when to take a break,” Paul said. “Then your family gets to fly on the team plane, like I didn’t see. I thank Steve for that.
When Paul traveled to San Francisco looking for temporary housing after the deal closed, his wife helped him find a high-rise building. Soon after moving in, he discovered that another famous tenant lived downstairs. He moved into Draymond Green’s building.
“Luckily, it’s nice, you can’t hear the people down there,” Paul said.
Paul’s inner circle expressed varying degrees of shock and concern after joining the Warriors, his fierce rival for the past decade. There were plenty of competitive brawls and heated playoff nights between the two sides. But Paul quickly accepted this because he believed both sides had qualities in common.
“I didn’t expect it to be this bad,” Paul said. “When the trade happened, I was excited, I was energized. It was really cool to see all the basketball knowledge, the way different guys performed every day. When people ask me about my experience here, I tell them I have a chance. Get a peek behind the scenes.
On a Sunday at the end of the season, the Warriors played against the Utah Jazz at home. They play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday. After the Utah game, Paul, Green and Klay Thompson — who all have homes in Los Angeles — chartered a plane the day before the team played. Trevor Ariza happened to be in town. Paul asked Ariza to jump on their plane.
Ariza was a member of the Houston Rockets, twice eliminated by the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. He knows how intense the rivalry between Paul and the Warriors is, how Paul gets antsy over losses, and how the Warriors taunt after a win.
“He was sitting on the plane and thinking, ‘Man, I never thought about that…'” Paul said. “‘I never thought we’d be together.'”
Paul and Green didn’t expect this, but when it arrived on their doorstep, they jumped at it. Literally. Throughout the season, Green took the elevator up a floor and went to Paul’s house multiple times, watching other NBA games, college games, the NFL — talking about basketball diagrams, life, family, kids, the future.
“I’m grateful and honored and very happy that I got the opportunity to play with him this year,” Green said. “It’s not something we would have imagined in a million years. There’s nothing better than winning. The relationships that are built will transcend whether he’s here next year and whether I’m here next year. I haven’t met that many Someone like him, if ever there was one.
Paul and Green also developed a bond off the court. (D. Ross Cameron/USA Today)
Paul also developed a relationship with Thompson. Paul accepted a backup role in the third game of the season for the first time in his 19-year career, a move that Kerr said sent a message about sacrifice to the rest of the team. Thompson accepted a backup role in February for the first time in more than a decade. The two then formed a second duo. Cole connected their minutes together.
Throughout the season, Paul told Thompson multiple times that he would take a boat across the San Francisco Bay. One time they had to cancel due to bad weather. Last week, before the final game of the regular season, Paul and Moses Moody joined Thompson across the water to watch the game.
“It’s really cool,” Paul said. “It’s always a little choppy when you get to deep water, but…”
Then Paul had a bigger picture.
“I had a lot of (former teammates) throughout my career, but I didn’t have any relationship with them,” Paul said. “I don’t really care or anything like that. Or people who don’t like me or whatever. It doesn’t keep me up at night. But I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to be around these people. Me and Stephen have built a bond. You know, Dre and I do have a real connection now and I’m grateful that the only person I actually got the chance to meet is Clay.
Paul understands the industry better than any other current player. He understands his contract arrangement, the Warriors’ tax crunch and will be part of the conversation that will determine his 2024-25 NBA home court. In theory, there are paths that could bring him back cheaper. He said he personally enjoyed his time with the Warriors.
But the basketball side also complicates the situation. Paul isn’t necessarily ready to accept a lower-usage backup point guard role in the final seasons of his career. He still believes he can still lead the team on a high-minute basis. Paul is averaging 26.4 minutes per game this season. He is now 32 years old and has averaged 34.6 points per game in his career over the past few seasons, never falling below 31.
“I try to do the most with the opportunities I’m given,” Paul said. “For me, winning is always my pursuit, no matter what kind of victory it is. But I know I can give more to this sport. That’s the way it is. But I’m loving every bit of (this season). I Loved every bit of it. Getting the chance to compete against these guys.
With the Warriors shuffling their rotation repeatedly this season, Paul is a perfect fit as Stephen Curry’s backup point guard. They’re better as a team than they have been in several seasons without Curry. But due to his size disadvantage, it is difficult for Cole to find an available lineup when Curry and Paul are on the court at the same time, especially with Thompson also on the court.
“It was a difficult situation for him, but he handled it well,” Kerr said. “He’s been the starting point guard on the team. But you look at our team, we’re small. Even though he’s one of our best players, if we want to send our best player out — — He’s one of those guys — you start adding up Chriss, Steph, Klay, and it’s not an ideal roster for him.
“But he’s been great for us because he’s been our backup point guard. As I’ve said many times, we’ve had the best minutes we’ve ever had without Steph because of Chris’ leadership. of.
Not an ideal lineup for him. This is probably the most devastating section of Kerr’s introduction. In a reasonable deal, Paul would still make sense for the Warriors as a backup point guard to stabilize the team in Curry’s absence. But he still craves more, and his on-court impact, production and marketability could prove it, making a reunion unlikely.
“You saw it tonight, (the Kings) overwhelmed us with their size and physicality,” Kerr said. “When you look at the lineup we have, Steph, Chris and Clay are usually separated. So there’s not as much time as Chris would like.
“But the way he’s handled it this season has been unbelievable. He’s such a professional. A great mentor for young guys. One of the greatest pros I’ve ever seen. I love coaching Chris, I really hope we can bring him back.
(Above: Sean M. Haffey/NBAE via Getty Images)
