Chris Paul may not be a forgotten man for much longer.
The Dallas Mavericks are a team to watch for the exiled LA Clippers guard Paul ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported on Tuesday during an appearance on “Mason and Ireland.” Shelburne notes that Paul worked out with Mavericks rookie phenom Cooper Flagg over the summer and that the two players are also represented by the same agency.
Now 40 years old, Paul has not played since the start of December after being sent home by the Clippers. The 12-time NBA All-Star reportedly clashed with multiple top Clippers coaches before he was effectively dismissed by the team (though Paul still technically remains a member of the Los Angeles roster).
Paul was averaging 2.9 points and 1.8 assists over a mere 14.3 minutes per game for the Clippers before geting exiled. He is on a one-year, $3.6 million contract (representing the veteran’s minimum) and could still provide some late-season value to another team.
As for the Mavericks, they are currently 12th in the Western Conference at 19-31. In any case however, Dallas is weak in the backcourt with Kyrie Irving still recovering from his ACL tear, and they have thus played Flagg out of position as their de facto point guard throughout the season.
Several weeks ago, we had heard that two other Western teams were supposedly interested in Paul. Now with just a couple of days to go before the trade deadline, a move to the Mavericks might represent the last chance for Paul to return to an NBA court this season.
