Chris Paul staring down conundrum over his NBA future: ‘Don't get that time back'
Chris Paul's next move will have everything to do with family.
The 40-year-old point guard is a free agent after spending last season with the Spurs, and said his decision as to where he'll play next — or if he'll play at all — will hinge on his proximity to his wife and kids.
'It's with my family more than anything,' Paul said on the 'Pat McAfee Show' on Thursday. 'I talk to my family about it. My son just turned 16, my daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I've lived without them. I've been away from them for the last six years, so it's a little different.'
Advertisement
Paul's family lives in Los Angeles, but the 12-time All-Star has not played there since he was traded from the Clippers to the Rockets in 2017.
Paul said his family was with him in Houston, but not for the stints that followed with the Thunder, Suns, Warriors and, most recently, San Antonio.
Advertisement
12-time All-Star Chris Paul is a free agent.
AP
'I don't think I want to play for a while. I'm being honest with you, I want to be Dad. I still love to play, I was up in the gym at 6 a.m. this morning…it's crazy. My daughter actually hoops now. Before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes… It was priceless. You don't get that time back,' Paul said. 'But I want to hoop, because I love to hoop, but at the same time I do want to be Dad.'
Even as he's aged past his prime, Paul has found ways to remain a key asset for winning NBA teams.
Chris Paul spent the 2024-25 season with the Spurs.
NBAE via Getty Images
Advertisement
He proved to be an impactful pick-and-roll partner – and mentor – for Victor Wembanyama this past season with the Spurs, averaging 7.4 assists per game to go along with 8.8 points a night.
And even as one of the oldest players in the league, Paul was durable as can be, playing and starting in all 82 games.
It's unclear whether there could be a fit for Paul on the Lakers or Clippers, if he'd be willing to sign elsewhere, or if the 'Point God' will decide now's the time to call it a career.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tottenham: Harry Redknapp 'not writing off' Mauricio Pochettino return after Ange Postecoglou sacking
Ex-Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said that the club's decision to sack Ange Postecoglou did not surprise him in the slightest and would not write off a return for Mauricio Pochettino. Redknapp, who managed Spurs from 2008 to 2012, said that Postecoglou's dismissal was 'harsh', but did concede that the north Londoners had been 'atrocious' this term. Advertisement Spurs won the Europa League, qualifying for next season's Champions League in the process, but it was their 17th-placed finish in the Premier League table that was the final straw for Daniel Levy. Postecoglou had delivered Spurs' first piece of silverware since the League Cup in 2008, and their first European crown in 41 years. However, Redknapp noted one particular factor that made him realise that the Australian's time was up. 'I thought it was a certainty, doesn't shock me at all,' Redknapp said of Postecoglou's sacking. 'Daniel has had two weeks after the cup final to come out and stop the speculation, from day one after they won that cup he never came out. Advertisement "All Daniel had to say was, no, he's our manager. He's here. We're looking forward to next season, but he didn't say a word. 'I knew then for sure he was finished, so it's not a shock in any shape or form to me. It was obvious he was going and [the final] made up Daniel's mind. "It wasn't the best game, it was two poor sides and I think, given their position in the table, Daniel would have made up his mind long before the final that he was going." Serial winner: Ange Postecoglou (Getty Images) Redknapp had thought that the Europa League trophy could have been Postecoglou's saving grace, but he accepted that Spurs' league form - where they lost 22 of 38 games - was unacceptable. Advertisement 'It's harsh, it's a difficult one,' he said. 'They were atrocious this season. 'The league form, fourth from bottom, they had a shocker, they won the cup, sometimes you get a bit of luck with the draw. 'But Daniel has looked at it and is thinking, 'hang on, Man United kept [Erik] Ten Hag last year after winning a cup and they went out and bought some players under his leadership and then suddenly they sacked him. 'Were they going to take that chance with Ange? Bringing four or five new players and suddenly things haven't improved in the league by Christmas, then they have to sack him and are stuck with the players he brought in. Advertisement 'He looks a good guy and I'd have liked to have seen him given more of a chance but it was never going to happen once Daniel didn't come out and support him.' The league form, fourth from bottom, they had a shocker, they won the cup, sometimes you get a bit of luck with the draw Harry Redknapp Looking ahead to who could replace Postecoglou in the dugout, Thomas Frank, the Brentford boss, is the frontrunner, according to reports. Redknapp said that the project at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be an attractive one for a lot of top coaches. "It's a great job for someone," he said.. "I know they finished fourth from bottom in the Premier League, but they won a trophy this year, they're in the Champions League next year. Advertisement "Let's not kid ourselves. Tottenham is a big club. The training facilities are out of this world. The stadium is probably the best stadium in the world now. "What a job for somebody. They've got a good squad. When they're all fit and playing, they've got 20-odd players there that are very, very good players. Some good young players, too, the kids who have come through this year look very good. 'There'll be an awful lot of people who would love that opportunity to manage Tottenham for sure, and Frank at Brentford is a big odds-on favourite. "Even Mauricio Pochettino - a friend of mine rang me and said, you know, what about Pochettino going back there? It's possible. I wouldn't write him off. Naturally, I'd be pleased."
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Patrick Beverley Takes Shot at Former Pistons Star Over Hall of Fame Claim
Patrick Beverley Takes Shot at Former Pistons Star Over Hall of Fame Claim originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Blake Griffin is not the best NBA player of all time, although he was certainly one of the most exciting. While playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, he was the best dunker in the league, and when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons, he reinvented his game to be a modern stretch four. Advertisement With six All-Star appearances and five All-NBA nods, he was one of the best players of the 2010s, and even though he did not make it past the second round of the NBA playoffs, he has a solid Hall of Fame case. However, one of his former teammates doesn't think he deserves it. Feb 11, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin (23) during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Little Caesars Arena© Tim Fuller-Imagn Images Patrick Beverley is one of the most outspoken NBA players of all time, and after starting a self-titled podcast, he has found the platform to express some of his more inflammatory takes. On a recent episode, he took a shot at Griffin, who was his teammate from 2017 to 2018 on the Clippers. 'People talk about Blake Griffin being in the Hall of Fame, and I'm looking like, how?" Beverley asked. "No discredit to Blake Griffin, but I'm looking like, how? I took the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals for the first time ever. Like, if I would've dunked more, does that mean I would've made the Hall of Fame?' Advertisement Now, one can quickly point out that Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, not Beverley, led the Clippers to the Conference Finals in 2021. During that playoff run, Beverley played solid defense, although he averaged only 4.9 points and 2.4 assists, usually coming off the bench. Alongside Chris Paul, Griffin was a centerpiece on the 'Lob City' Clippers, who were a staple in the playoffs. While Griffin is best known for his time in Los Angeles, his stint with the Pistons can't be discounted, as he made his final All-Star and All-NBA teams in 2019 with the Pistons, and became an outside shooting threat in the Motor City, while keeping the franchise afloat before their long rebuild. Advertisement Check out the All Pistons homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles. Related: Pistons' JB Bickerstaff Reveals What NBA Coaches Have To Do To Not Be Fired Related: Detroit Pistons To Test Free Agent Waters With Two Elite Centers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Report: Rockets could need pay cuts to retain Jeff Green, Jae'Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday
Report: Rockets could need pay cuts to retain Jeff Green, Jae'Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday Veterans Jeff Green, Jae'Sean Tate, and Aaron Holiday might need to take paycuts in order to return to the Rockets in 2025-26, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The Rockets will be a much more expensive team in the NBA's 2025-26 season, owing largely to salary increases for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. Depending on moves this offseason, Houston could be in luxury tax territory. The Rockets also have at least two younger prospects — Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore — that they would like to find more minutes for. With those types of considerations in mind, the 2025-26 Rockets might not have as much room in the budget for veteran players near the end of the bench. In 2024-25, Jeff Green, Jae'Sean Tate, and Aaron Holiday made $8.0 million, $7.6 million, and $4.7 million, respectively. While Houston seems to have some level of interest in retaining each of them, it might require a paycut for those players to stick around. Per Kelly Iko of The Athletic: A larger chunk of playing time for Sheppard would diminish veteran Aaron Holiday's role. Holiday emerged as a trusted option under Udoka over the past two seasons. He has a $4.9 million team option for next season, but the Rockets, who have expressed a desire to retain him, would likely wait and see how the rest of the roster pans out, along with the market, before circling back. Jeff Green and Tate, both of whom Houston is fond of, fall into a similar category. There's a possibility that only veteran minimum contracts would be available. Green recently expressed interest in a return, and Tate is a five-year NBA veteran who has only played for the Rockets over that time. All three are beloved in Houston's locker room and looked upon fondly as veteran leaders and mentors. Green was a consistent rotation player as recently as 2023-24, and Tate and Holiday had rotation stints in 2024-25. The latter two are accomplished defensively, where Houston ranked in the NBA's top five last season. So, there is definitely appeal to having them around as insurance options for head coach Ime Udoka. However, because of the changing composition of the roster around them, each might need to take a paycut in order to stick around. Time will tell if they choose to do so. The Rockets are allowed to negotiate with their own free agents as soon as the 2025 NBA Finals conclude, and negotiations with other teams and players across the league can begin on June 30. Minimum salaries are slotted according to NBA experience, though even the highest (for a player with 10+ years of experience, such as Green) is still below $4 million annually. For Green and Tate, a minimum deal would be less than half of their 2024-25 salary. More: As free agency looms, Jeff Green hopeful of re-signing with Rockets
