Chris Paul explains his decision to sign with the Spurs and has no other suitors

Chris Paul has been a name associated with the Los Angeles Lakers for many years, and in particular with the idea of ​​potentially teaming up with LeBron James. But when Paul was released by the Golden State Warriors and became an unrestricted free agent, his decision to sign with the San Antonio Spurs caused a stir.

Paul is considered by many to be one of the best NBA players without a championship ring, but instead of moving to a top contender, he agreed to a one-year deal with a team that went 22-60 last season. During his introductory press conference with the Spurs, Paul spoke about his decision to sign with San Antonio, calling it an “honor and privilege” to play for head coach Gregg Popovich.

Most importantly, Paul made it clear how much he wanted the opportunity to play and contribute, as ESPN’s Andrew Lopez pointed out.

“My family is everything. My wife is here, my kids are in LA and that’s where they’ll be spending the season,” Paul said. “And I love basketball so much that I could be close to home, but if I’m not playing, I’m not happy.”

“And I love my family more than anything. When we saw this opportunity, even though it means I’m away from my family, my family knows me better than anyone and they know that I just want to play. I want to play more than anything. And so I’m grateful to them and even more grateful to be here.”

Paul’s tenure with the Spurs will be the seventh franchise he’s played for, and he’s entering the 20th NBA season of his career. The 12-time NBA All-Star is coming off a season with the Phoenix Suns three years ago in which he averaged 10.8 assists per game, the third-highest in a single season.

Although Paul has shown many times that he can still play at a high level, he was used differently in his only season with the Warriors. The 39-year-old averaged 26.4 minutes per game and started only 18 of 58 games. He came off the bench for the first time in his entire career, which certainly contributed to his career-lows of 9.2 points and 6.8 assists.

Now, Paul should get the opportunity to lead a young Spurs team and help second-year star Victor Wembanyama have another monstrous season. If Paul returns to a starting lineup and assumes the key role on offense, it will be interesting to see if his numbers return to the levels fans were used to during his illustrious NBA career.