After being cut by the Warriors and becoming a free agent, Paul quickly found his next home and signed a one-year, $11 million contract with the Spurs. It is worth mentioning that Paul has one year left on his previous contract, and his salary for next season is as high as 30 million, but the contract is completely insecure, so the Warriors do not need to pay any salary to cut him.
Paul is 39 years old and has played in the NBA for 19 seasons, second only to James among active players. So far in his career, Paul has never won a championship. Paul could have joined a team with championship hopes on a veteran base salary contract to challenge for the championship, but he chose to join the Spurs, which also means that Paul has given up on the championship, because the Spurs have little hope of winning the championship at the moment.
Paul may also know that he has no hope of winning the championship, so he is not willing to sacrifice his salary for the championship like other veterans, but chooses to ask for money rather than championships. For Paul, a salary of $11 million is also a lot, and of course Paul deserves it now.
Paul played in a total of 58 games for the Warriors in the 23-24 season, averaging 26.4 minutes per game, with 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals, shooting 44.1% from the field, 37.1% from three-point range, and 82.7% from the free throw line. Although the statistics have dropped significantly, as a top point guard, Paul still has a lot of influence on the game.
For the Spurs, signing Paul for $11 million is also a very cost-effective deal, and Paul's arrival will also greatly promote the rapid growth of Wenban. Wembanyama has shown great talent in his rookie season, but the Spurs don't have a good point guard on the team, so Wemban's performance has been somewhat limited. Now with Paul, Wemban's performance will undoubtedly be better next season and take off again.
Paul has also worked with many great interior players before, including Griffin, Jordan Jr., Howard, Capela, Ayton, etc., and under Paul's leadership, these interior players have played very well. Wemban, under Paul's leadership, will definitely play more powerfully, and he will play more easily.
It is worth mentioning that Paul has 11,894 assists so far in his career, which is the third most all-time, and he is only 197 away from Kidd in second place. After joining the Spurs, it is only a matter of time before Paul surpasses Kidd next season, and may even need an assist to Wembanyama to surpass Kidd.