The Golden State Warriors may continue to let the Chris Paul experiment ride.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported this week on Golden State’s long-term stance on the 12-time All-Star point guard Paul. Scotto writes that the Warriors have been pleased with Paul’s fit and production with them and would be open to keeping him around beyond this year for the right price. Golden State also has some added flexibility for the 2024-25 season since youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody are not eligible for restricted free agency until summer 2025, Scotto adds.
Paul’s fit with the Warriors was rightly questioned before the season, but he has willingly adapted thus far to help make it work. The 11-time All-NBAer is coming off the bench in Golden State and focusing on more of a facilitating role. Paul is averaging a career-low 8.9 points but a healthy 7.3 assists plus 1.5 steals per game. He is still seeing a good allocation of playing time too (26.8 minutes a night) and was able to provide useful spot starts for the Warriors when Steph Curry was recently hurt.
The obvious concern though with Paul is his mileage. He is an injury-prone 38-year-old in his 19th career season and was just ruled out for Thursday’s game against the LA Clippers with a nerve issue in his left leg. But Paul, who is making $30.8 million this year, will get a lot cheaper in the summer as his salary for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed. Golden State’s superstars are slowly growing fond of Paul as well, so there may be some value in bringing him back at a discount for another year.
