Chris Paul Will Get Too Much Credit for Spurs Making Playoffs, Lauri Markkanen Trade Not Happening

The Spurs drafted Stephon Castle at #4 and signed Chris Paul for $11 million over one year.

That’s already a winning offseason.

I don’t care that Chris Paul is 39 years old. I also don’t care that Paul has played an annoying and flop-oriented brand of basketball (that I have despised) for his entire career.

What I do care about is that the Spurs made a real move geared towards winning basketball games. It was a simple but rock solid pickup.

This is in stark contrast to last season when Gregg Popovich purposefully tanked the season. He started Jeremy Sochan at point guard. He came in with no real offensive plan. He made up ghost injuries for Victor so he could bench him. And no tangible development occurred over the course of the season.

Classic tanking.

Pop even sat Keldon, Jeremy, and Devin Vassell down the final stretch of games, but because Victor is so great, the Spurs picked up wins anyway.

Victor and his final remaining teammates may have even altered the course of NBA history by knocking the Nuggets out of first place in the West.

Bad Draft Day Trade

Fast forward to draft day and the Spurs got off to the right start, drafting the ultra solid looking Stephon Castle at #4. But then they punted on the #8 pick for 2030 draft consideration.

Value-wise the trade looked great, but the 2030s are a million years away — will the NBA even be around in 2030?

I wrote about my disdain for the Rob Dillingham trade, calling for the firing of Gregg Popovich, Brian Wright, and RC Buford. Fired not because of the trade itself, but because it typified their decision-making (and non-results oriented style) for the last however many years.

It wasn’t about Dillingham. I couldn’t tell you who he was if he walked past me. It was about not playing for now.

Free Agency

I still think the trio should be fired.

Wright’s light-vanilla explanations for his moves and non-moves are exactly what you have to watch out for as someone (i.e., an owner) relying on theoretical roster management expertise.

But, of course, we know Pop and R.C. loom large over Spurs’ decisions so it’s hard to tell who’s actually in charge of what.

Regardless, the Spurs front office went for the obvious answer staring them in the face and hit pay dirt.

A somewhat washed Chris Paul is still light years ahead of anybody that played point guard for the team last year; he’s going to make a huge difference.

I very much applaud the move.

Lauri Markkanen

There are even rumblings tying the Spurs to Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen. I really, really like the idea of Markkanen on the Spurs, but it’s not happening.

First, the Jazz have no obvious reason to trade Markkanen. Second, there are multiple teams interested including a super desperate Warriors squad.

And, third, Trader Danny will demand the house.

Danny Ainge has already ripped off multiple franchises and he’s not going to trade the Jazz’s most prized asset unless he gets a king’s ransom in return.

As much as I like Markkanen and as much as I want the Spurs to get going, it doesn’t make sense to force a trade and pay way above a market premium for the Finnish star.

So I also applaud this future non-move even though I think the Fin would catapult the Spurs to one of the top teams in the West.

The Non-Tanking 2024–2025 Season?

All that I’m after is for the Spurs to actually try to win games.

Things like playing Victor Wembanyama real minutes and being competitive.

It’s the simple stuff.

Last season Gregg Popovich and co. purposefully lost games. San Antonio somewhat miraculously reached 22 wins through no doing of their head coach.

But with the tanking blanket apparently lifted and no longer weighing Victor down, this team could win 50 games.

Just by adding Victor, the Spurs were already a near playoff team last year if the Sam Hinkie of San Antonio hadn’t submarined the season.

Now throw in Chris Paul, a potentially good Stephon Castle, and Pop actually coaching, and the Spurs will shock the NBA.

Chris Paul Over Credit

Chris Paul is about to have career resurgence at 39.

As long as Paul plays 28–30 minutes, he’s going to be a fantastic fantasy basketball value.

It’s easy to envision a scenario where Paul averages 14 points and 11 assists for the season.

Last year, nobody on the team wanted to pass to Victor. Contrast that with what happens when a basketball savant, pure point guard who loves racking up assists pairs with Wemby.

It will be a bananas-mania lob and easy bucket session.

Paul will have a big impact as a floor general, raising the IQ of the team from middle school dropout to GED recipient.

And Chris Paul will deserve a lot of credit.

But it will be even more than he deserves.

Some of the credit has to go to the Sam Hinkie of San Antonio for artificially lowering the floor last year.