The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly expecting to lose a key starter to free agency.
In his latest tidbit-laden free agency round-up, Marc Stein of The Stein Line yesterday reported that the Texas team are not expected to be able to retain veteran point guard Chris Paul for next season, as he enters free agency at the age of 40. According to Stein, it is not because Paul failed to deliver on what was required, but instead because of a lack of space for him going forward.
Anticipation is building that Chris Paul could be on the move again this offseason even though his time as a Spur as a mentor to Victor Wembanyama and a young team overall was an unabashed success. The reality now, though, is that San Antonio acquired DeâAaron Fox in February and just watched Stephon Castle assemble of a Rookie of the Year season. [I]t is difficult to see how there would be room in the Spursâ backcourt next season.
– Marc Stein
Spurs Acquired Two Star Guards In A Year
Paul was brought in to provide veteran nous and solid unselfish two-way play to a young Spurs roster building – rightly – about the unique brilliance of Wembanyama. To better cultivate winning habits and a championship core, Victor and other young Spurs players such as Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan needed to get the ball in the right spots on offense while rotating to the right spots on defence. An added coach on the floor in Paul, who could facilitate those things, was an ideal stop-gap solution.
Since that time, though, the Spurs have made s0me moves for the longer term. At the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline, they made a splash when acquiring former All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings, and although Fox and Paul started alongside each other for 17 games last season, both are on-ball lead guard types without the skill sets – or need – to fit optimally.
Stein also indicates that an addition that they have not made plays into the Spurs’ thinking here. Having won the second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery – and with everyone in the league already operating under the assumption that the Dallas Mavericks will be selecting Cooper Flagg with the first pick – the Spurs have reportedly already decided that they will be drafting Dylan Harper, a combo guard/swingman from Rutgers, to play alongside Castle, Fox and Vassell.
Paul Understood The Assignment
If there is no place for Paul with the Spurs, it is not because of anything he did wrong.
In the same year that he turned 40 – making him the third-oldest active player in the NBA, one day younger than P.J. Tucker of the New York Knicks and four months younger than LeBron James of the L.A. Lakers – managed the truly impressive feat of not only playing in all 82 games, but starting them. The 12-time All-Star understood the assignment and was very effective in this role, averaging 8.8 points and 7.4 assists in 28.0 minutes per game against a tiny 1.6 turnovers a game, with his win shares total of 5.7 ranking as high as 53rd in the league, ahead of players such as Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, Jrue Holiday and Kevin Durant.
Paul’s days of dominance are behind him, but his days of very-goodness are still ongoing. As with any player of that age, questions abound as to whether he will consider retiring this summer, yet earlier this month, Paul said he thinks he is going to keep playing.
Considering how effective he was last season, Paul will have plenty of suitors. All teams could use someone with his intelligence, control and sheer skill But if he wants – or needs – a starting spot to keep his career alive, San Antonio is one of the few places where he will not get one.
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