Veteran guard Chris Paul is leaving the Golden State Warriors to join the San Antonio Spurs.
The agreement is for one year worth $11 million. In San Antonio, he will join French sensation Victor Wembanyama, who made his first steps in the NBA last season after being the first pick in the draft.
Paul is 39 years old. Last season with the Warriors, he averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists.
Having had surgery on his left hand after suffering a fracture in early January, he missed almost two months of competition.
Since the beginning of his career, he has defended the colors of New Orleans, the Clippers, Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Golden State.
In 1,272 games, he averaged 17.5 points per game.
The third best passer in the history of the league (11,894 assists), never titled in the NBA, will put his experience to the service of a very young team.
The Spurs, 14th (out of 15) in the West this season and therefore absent from the series for the 5th consecutive year, are in full reconstruction around their French jewel, whom they had selected in first position in 2023, and with whom they hope to find the highest peaks.
The Texan franchise had already added a leader to its squad by claiming the young Stephon Castle (19 years old) at the fourth level, Wednesday.
Valanciunas avec Washington
Veteran Jonas Valanciunas will continue his career with the Washington Wizards. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPNthe 32-year-old center agreed to a three-year pact worth $30 million.
Valanciunas played the last three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 2023-24.
He also played during his career for the Toronto Raptors and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Obi Toppin would have chosen to stay in Indiana
Restricted free agent Obi Toppin intends to sign a four-year, $60 million contract to remain with the Indiana Pacers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Toppin became a key contributor for the Eastern Conference runners-up.
Toppin had a career-best season in his first year with the Pacers, averaging 10.3 points and shooting 57.3 percent from the field while playing an average of 21.1 minutes per game.
Toppin has fit right in with Indiana’s potent offense, becoming an elite finisher. He had 101 dunks last season and shot 40.3 percent from three-point range, by far a career high.
The Pacers acquired Toppin from the New York Knicks last summer for two second-round picks. New York had selected Toppin with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Caldwell-Pope packs his bags
Free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is leaving the Denver Nuggets to sign a three-year, $66 million contract with the Orlando Magic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Caldwell-Pope, 31, had been a mainstay for the Nuggets since arriving in Denver two years ago, helping them win the 2022-23 title with his 3-point shooting accuracy and ability to cover opposing players well.
The Magic exceeded expectations last season by winning 47 games, a 13-win improvement from the previous year and a 25-win jump from the 2021-22 season. They finished fifth in the East, but lost to the Cavaliers in seven games in the first round.
2024-07-01 00:34:58
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