Chris Paul is undoubtedly one of the NBA's greatest point guards of all time. During his illustrious 19-year NBA career, Paul has made 12 All-Star teams, has led the league in assists 5 times, and has been the steal leader 6 times. He was even part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team, but the one thing that Paul's resume doesn't have is an NBA Championship ring.
But not having a ring doesn't seem to bother CP3, who admitted after signing with the Spurs last summer that he picked playing time over chasing a ring, saying, "If I'm not playing, I'm not happy." With Paul becoming a free agent again this summer, his willingness to play over winning a championship makes him an ideal signing for New Orleans. Dejounte Murray will be out with an injury to start this season, leaving the starting point guard spot wide open.
The pitch for the "Point God" to return
For those of you who are too young to remember, the legend of CP3 started in New Orleans for a team called the Hornets. Paul was drafted 4th overall by NOLA in 2005 and spent the first 6 years of his career with the team. In his third season, he carried them to what is still a franchise-best 56 wins and finished 2nd in MVP voting behind only Kobe Bryant. Now, to fast forward to the present day, Paul at 40 is still one of the leagues best playmakers.
This past season, CP played all 82 games and averaged 8.8 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in just 28 minutes a night. Paul's ability to still create the most open looks for his teammates is nuts when you look at how old he is. This past season, he was tied for second in assists-to-turnover ratio with a value of 4.7. New Orleans found themselves in the middle of the pack in terms of team assists per game, bringing a true pure playmaker like CP would bolster that.
Financially, Paul would probably have to take a bit of a pay cut to return to New Orleans, as the Pels only have an expected $5.7 million due to the Taxpayer Middle Level Exception. But honestly, I feel he would be inclined to take this offer from New Orleans. No team will likely offer CP the chance to be a guaranteed starter on a competitive playoff-level team other than the Pelicans.
Another reason he would be inclined to come to the Pels is that next season could be his last. It would be a perfect storybook ending for the "Point God" to retire with the same franchise and in the same city where his pro career started.
Signing Paul could help this Pelicans team from a leadership standpoint. Over his last few stops, we've seen how inspirational and influential he is for young guys. Remember that guy, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just won MVP? Yeah, well, CP3 was his mentor in his first year with the OKC Thunder. Imagine what he could do for someone like Jeremiah Fears, whom the Pels could take 7th overall in the 2025 NBA draft.