While the Golden State Warriors will be boosted by the return of superstar point guard Stephen Curry when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, the visitors are still trying to address their own situation at that position over a quarter of the way through the season.
With veteran Mike Conley slowing down and Rob Dillingham not taking the leap many had hoped, the Timberwolves' desperate search for point guard reinforcements could foolishly lead them to former Warrior and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul.
Timberwolves reportedly hold interest in Chris Paul trade
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Minnesota are one of a few teams who have shown a level of interest in Paul and could look at acquiring the 40-year-old following his shock departure from the L.A. Clippers.
“If he wants to go to a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Houston Rockets, two teams that have been rumored to have a level of interest in Chris Paul… Another one that had interest in him over the offseason that I wouldn't be surprised if they're interested in him again is the New York Knicks," Siegel wrote.
Paul has already announced that this will be his final season, yet his next and likely final team is unclear given how poorly things went at the Clippers. Not only did the 12x All-Star fail to generate much on-court impact in his second stint with the franchise, but he also didn't see eye-to-eye with teammates and coaches in the locker room, leaving the Clippers to take the drastic measure of sending Paul home.
L.A. will now work with Paul to find another team that can give him the send-off he deserves, but the Timberwolves putting their faith in the 21-year veteran would surely be a foolish decision. There was nothing Paul did with the Clippers to suggest he's a viable option to address Minnesota's point guard issues, having averaged just 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his 14.3 minutes per game, while shooting 32.1% from the floor and 33.3% from 3-point range.
Paul did average 28 minutes in all 82 games with the San Antonio Spurs last season, while also averaging 26.4 minutes in his lone year with the Warriors in 2023-24. The sudden decline this season suggests the Timberwolves need to be aiming higher, particularly if they have hopes of going further than their back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances.
With the emergence of Pat Spencer and the glut of guards already on their roster, needless to say that the Warriors will have no interest in Paul once he becomes trade eligible on December 15.