If the ongoing NBA rumors swirling around Chris Paul prove true, the All-Star point guard could be joining the San Antonio Spurs. Reportedly, not only could the Spurs be interested in acquiring "CP3," but it is now seeming like Paul will seriously consider moving to the new team. Here's the latest involving the Chris Paul NBA rumors that he will become a San Antonio Spur in the near future.
Why Paul could leave LA
According to ESPN's report, there are sources saying that Chris Paul is "intrigued" by possibly joining a Spurs team featuring coach Gregg Popovich and All-Star Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is a top-three NBA MVP finalist this past season, and has also helped the team capture a championship. That earned Leonard NBA Finals MVP against the Miami Heat.
As for Paul, that sort of playoff success has eluded him as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. He's been one of the more efficient ball handlers in the league, but the team failed to escape their first-round matchup this postseason against the Utah Jazz.
Some of that was due to the Clippers' big man Blake Griffin suffering a bad foot/toe injury which sidelined him for a good portion of the seven-game series.
There have been NBA rumors involving Blake Griffin possibly joining another team, with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat both potential landing spots mentioned in rumor reports. If that happens, and L.A. fails to bring in another star to help out "CP3," he could be on the way out as well since the team will be rebuilding.
Why CP3 might stay in LA
The L.A. Clippers will do their best to prove to Chris Paul that they want him as part of the franchise. Among the potential moves that they are trying to make is getting NBA legend Jerry West into the front office.
Keeping Blake Griffin in town, and/or possibly bringing another top notch player to the team could help. There were rumors months ago that the Clippers might try to bring Carmelo Anthony to their roster.
As far as Chris Paul goes, he is pretty much the man with all the power on this current Clippers team. That means he will be looking to see what the team can do to improve their chances of a deeper playoff run. The farthest this team has gone is to the Western Conference Finals in the last five years.
Paul has a great relationship with his coach and the Clippers front office which could give him the incentive to stick around and make best of the situation. In addition, he serves as the current president of the NBA Players Association, as he succeeded former Lakers guard Derek Fisher in that role as of 2013.
So will the Clippers be able to do enough to keep CP3 in town? It's being said that the Spurs could be a lock to get a meeting with Paul when free agency starts on July 1st. Stay tuned to see whether this develops into the All-Star guard leaving Los Angeles for San Antonio.