Report: Chris Paul to give Spurs serious consideration in free agency
If the San Antonio Spurs are truly interested in making a run at signing Chris Paul, the All-Star point guard is reportedly willing to hear them out.
Should he elect to leave the Los Angeles Clippers, Paul intends to give serious consideration to becoming a member of the Spurs, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
The 32-year-old has a $24.2-million player option for the 2017-18 season that he would first need to opt out of in order to become unrestricted.
The idea of working under esteemed head coach Gregg Popovich, as well as pairing with reigning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard in the starting lineup, reportedly intrigues Paul.
A long and prosperous playoff run has evaded Paul throughout his career, as he's never once advanced to the Western Conference finals. Over the past six seasons, Los Angeles has been bounced from the first and second rounds of the playoffs three times each, including a seven-game series loss to the Utah Jazz last month.
The Clippers have reportedly begun conjuring up other potential moves to make - both with the roster and in management - in an attempt to convince Paul to stay put. This includes courting Jerry West away from the Golden State Warriors to come aboard as an adviser.
San Antonio is considered a lock to at least have a meeting with Paul once free agency gets underway on July 1. Even so, the Spurs would need to make significant changes in an effort to clear the necessary cap room for a reasonable offer.
If it comes down to dollars and cents, the Clippers have a huge leg up on the competition in the form of a super-max contract, which could pay Paul over $200 million for the next five years.
Paul finished fourth overall in assists per game during the regular season with 9.2, along with 18.1 points, five rebounds, and 1.9 steals on 47.6 percent shooting from the field.
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