National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran point guard Chris Paul is expected to join the San Antonio Spurs and team up with ‘rookie sensation’ Victor Wembanyama.
Citing sources, ESPN reported on Jan. 1 (local time) that Paul has agreed to a one-year, $11 million (approx. 15.2 billion won) contract with San Antonio.
Paul, who played the 2023-2024 season with the Golden State Warriors, was released by the team the previous day, making him eligible for free agency.
Paul’s choice was San Antonio, where Wembanyama is anchored.
“Paul had a good conversation with head coach Gregg Popovich and was attracted to the idea that he could help Wemba Yama elevate his game,” basketball writer Chris Haynes, a local source, wrote on social media.
“Paul is eager to prove that he is still a quality guard in the league.”
Born in 1985, the upcoming 2024-2025 season will be Paul’s 20th in the NBA.
He debuted with the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) in the 2005-2006 season and has since played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Golden State Warriors.
He is a 12-time All-Star, was voted All-Star Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2013, and was named Rookie of the Year in 2006 and was a four-time Top 5 player of the season.
He also earned a spot on the world’s most dominant U.S. National Team, winning gold medals at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics.
In the 2023-2024 season, he appeared in 58 regular-season games in a Golden State uniform, averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds.
His career regular-season averages are 17.5 points, 9.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Paul joins a San Antonio team that is rebuilding around Wemba Yama, the unanimous Rookie of the Year for the 2023-2024 season.
Paul’s arrival is a welcome addition after the Spurs struggled last season due to a lack of ball-handlers to spread the offense. San Antonio won 22 games and finished 14th in the Western Conference with 60 wins.
Wembanyama, who joined the Spurs as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s rookie draft, was early dubbed the talent of the century.
Despite being over 6-foot-9, he has the athleticism of a guard or forward, producing consistently off the dribble.
In his rookie season, he played in 71 games, averaging almost 30 minutes per game, and averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 blocked shots. He shot 46.5 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from three-point range.
His 3.6 blocked shots per game was his highest average in the last eight seasons. 바카라사이트 추천