Chris Paul is facing one of the more difficult decisions as a professional this offseason: chase money or chase a ring?
Both are options he's taking into consideration, as Zach Lowe of ESPN reported on his podcast Tuesday that the 32-year-old Paul, a nine-time All Star, is tied to the San Antonio Spurs as a potential destination this summer.
"There's been a lot of rumblings about Chris Paul, and I think that's real," Lowe said in a conversation with Kevin Arnovitz. "I think there's mutual interest there. I don't know how real it is given the Clippers can offer a gigantic amount of money and are also a really good team; and the Spurs, like I said, have no sort of cap flexibility to get there. I'm very curious about what they do this summer and who's on the team next year."
Should Paul elect to stay in Los Angeles, the Clippers could offer him a deal worth $205 million-plus that would eclipse any other monetary offer a team could throw his way. But Paul could decide to cut his losses with L.A., which faces a number of offseason free agency questions which include Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick. Paul could instead chase a ring with a stable franchise like the Spurs, who would be well-equipped to compete for a title right away, at least on paper.
The Spurs were swept in the Western Conference finals by the Golden State Warriors, but selling Paul to come in as a centerpiece of the team alongside Kawhi Leonard and aging star Tony Parker, who missed the conference finals with an injury, isn't a stretch. The team won 61 games this season and, unlike the Clippers, have consistently advanced past the first round and flourished in the postseason.
Regardless, Paul is expected to opt out of his deal with the Clippers to test free agency -- opening the door for a max offer from the Clippers, or potentially signing as a free agent. The Spurs, for more reasons than one, make plenty of sense if he were to choose to chase that ever-elusive NBA title elsewhere.
