Following the buyout of Damian Lillard earlier this month, the Milwaukee Bucks were believed to be a viable free agent destination for veteran floor general Chris Paul.
Considering their win-now mentality, what with all-world forward Giannis Antetokounmpo still proudly leading the charge, to many, the idea of pursuing the 12-time All-Star seemed like a no-brainer.
In the end, Paul opted to stay on the west coast and reunite with the title-hopeful LA Clippers for his farewell season in the association, as he agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million deal on Monday.
Now, some Bucks fans may find solace in the fact that even though they lost out on the CP3 sweepstakes, they still have several young and intriguing options to roll out at the one spot with the likes of Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony, and Ryan Rollins.
However, the truth of the matter is that none of the aforementioned ballers have yet to prove themselves capable of serving as the primary point guard on a championship contender, which makes any of their claims to a starting nod far from reassuring.
Paul's arrival could have benefited Milwaukee's current backcourt conundrum in a multitude of ways.
Bucks backcourt would have benefited from Chris Paul's experience
With his 20 years of experience in the league and Hall of Fame resume, it was already a given that Paul would have been an unquestionably enviable presence to have operating as Milwaukee's primary point guard next season.
Add on the fact that he's coming off a 2024-25 campaign where he dished out the sixth-most total assists (605), shot 37.7 percent from distance, and played in all 82 games, and the concept of slotting the Point God into the lineup next to Giannis could have realistically proven to be a tremendous pairing.
However, Paul's presence on the Bucks wouldn't have only been beneficial from a production standpoint this coming year but also from a mentorship perspective moving forward, especially for their unproven collection of backcourt talents.
While the organization clearly accomplished its goal of making this roster younger, it is void of any semblance of a leader to help potentially mold Porter, Anthony, and Rollins into its point guard of the future.
Though undeniably talented, none are believed to be close to ready to take over the mantel as the club's franchise point guard, and, with the always-present rumors of Giannis having interest in being traded, it's far from a desirable situation to test them out on the go during the season.
By bringing someone like Paul in, not only would it have provided the Bucks with stability at the one, but it would have also given their youngins out in the backcourt more time to develop and learn from an established and highly accomplished veteran.
Now, with the 40-year-old committed to Los Angeles, Milwaukee's next-best situation would be to pursue a talent like Russell Westbrook or perhaps their own reunion with the likes of Malcolm Brogdon.