Damian Lillard will likely miss time next season as he recovers from Achilles surgery, Kevin Porter Jr. is reportedly opting out of his player option, and Ryan Rollins is also a free agent. Even if the Milwaukee Bucks retain one of the two, they will need to add another guard via trade, the free agent market, or the NBA Draft, and one player they should steer clear of is 12-time All-Star Chris Paul.
Bucks need a jolt at the point, but CP3 might not be that
Last season in San Antonio, the 20th of his career, Paul provided what the Spurs signed him to do. As a veteran floor general and mentor to Victor Wembanyama, Paul dished out 7.4 assists per game, many in the form of Wemby lobs. For the second time in his career, he played all 82 games, showing impressive durability for a 39-year-old.
Unsurprisingly, Paul's scoring average dipped a bit further to a career-low 8.8 points, but he knocked down threes at a 37.7 percent clip and remained solidly efficient on two-pointers (51.4 percent, a tick above his career rate).
The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly targeted Paul in the past, and on the surface, he might seem the perfect option to tide them over during Lillard's convalescence.
If Milwaukee had a different roster to work with, he might be. As it is, the team lacks a secondary or even a tertiary scoring threat, is trying to get younger, and would benefit from capable defenders in the absence of offensive firepower. At this point in his career, Paul checks none of those boxes.
On the defensive end, he has been a liability for several years now. While Paul still has active hands, once again recording over a steal per game, he has lost his quickness. Opposing guards can easily blow by him. Teams hunt him on switches. It isn't going to get any better in year 21, only worse.
Other options offer what Paul can't
Instead of pursuing Paul, the Bucks should lean into guys like Rollins. The 22-year-old isn't much of a facilitator, at least not yet, but is a strong, nimble defender. Porter supplied a spark last season as captain of the second unit, helping the Milwaukee Bucks run more of a run-and-gun offense with Antetokounmpo off the floor. At 6-foot-4, he has the size to guard bigger guards and even wings.
If Milwaukee doesn't bring back either of them, there are still better options than Paul. Trading for Utah's Collin Sexton or Jordan Clarkson remains a possibility. In free agency, they pick up someone like Dennis Schroder or even Tyus Jones, who has some of Paul's flaws - lax defense, small size - but is 10 years younger and a 41.4-percent 3-point shooter over the past two seasons.
Paul shouldn't be all that tempting, but hopefully, general manager Jon Horst eschews his Hall of Fame allure in favor of a better roster fit. The Milwaukee Bucks need youth.