5 teams who could give Chris Paul one last chance at winning a ring

The Golden State Warriors season came to an anticlimactic end with their Play-In loss to the No. 9 Sacramento Kings. Now, a long and potentially difficult offseason awaits. Stephen Curry continues to light up the scoreboard, but his veteran comrades are starting to lose steam. Draymond Green has annoyed even his most loyal supporters, Klay Thompson is hit-or-miss like never before, and Andrew Wiggins' mystifying decline is well-documented.

It's hard to imagine the Warriors maintaining their current $400 million payroll for next season. Not if the team won't win games in April or May. One probable casualty of Golden State's cost-cutting mandate is Chris Paul, whose $30 million salary for next season is completely non-guaranteed.

The Warriors could theoretically pick up the tab and use Paul as trade filler, but assuming Golden State can't maneuver itself into position for a blockbuster trade by June 28 (the date on which Paul's contract becomes guaranteed), he will be waived. Paul could simply return on a more manageable contract, but frankly, the 38-year-old should aim higher. He still doesn't have a ring on his resumé and his opportunities are dwindling.

Assuming CP3 is destined for greener pastures, there should be no shortage of interest parties. Paul isn't the everyday starter of old, much less an All-Star, but he's still one of the sharpest basketball minds in NBA history. A future head coach if he wants to be, Paul's on-court (and off-court) leadership can still positively impact a winning team.

Here are a few logical destinations if Paul wants to chase a ring (as he should).

5. Timberwolves would benefit from Chris Paul's playmaking in second unit

The Minnesota Timberwolves have officially arrived. We talk a lot about the Wolves finding Mike Conley's replacement, but Conley is under contract for a few more years. What Minnesota needs in the meantime is a serviceable backup. Monte Morris has been a relative disappointment and he profiles as little more than a stopgap.

Few teams should leap quicker at the opportunity to land Paul than Minnesota. It's an obvious fit, both in the locker room and on the court. The Wolves get another battle-tested vet to lead what is still a relatively young locker room outside of Conley. On the court, Paul can supply pick-and-roll wizardry to a roster built around Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. Even at his advanced age, Paul has the ability to manipulate a defense and spoon-feed open looks to his big men.

Paul doesn't put much pressure on the rim these days, but paired with Anthony Edwards' boisterous slashing and a dynamic frontcourt, he would be well-positioned to operate as a setup man and play to his remaining strengths. The combined wisdom and basketball I.Q. of CP3 and Conley in the backcourt would offset age-related concerns.

Defense is an issue for Paul, but the Wolves are home to the league's best defensive apparatus. CP3 would benefit from an all-world backstop in Gobert, not to mention the length of KAT, Jaden McDaniels, and others in his orbit.

4. Chris Paul can join the Nuggets and truly ring chase

If Chris Paul wants to maximize his combination of guaranteed minutes and title odds, the Denver Nuggets are a natural destination. Reggie Jackson has been fine in the backup point guard role, but he's expendable — especially if the alternative is Chris Paul. Denver could even find ways to incorporate both.

Paul would add a different skill set to the Nuggets' backcourt. Jamal Murray has mastered the two-man game with Nikola Jokic. He's labeled as a point guard, but Murray's greatest strength is his ability to get open without the basketball. Paul is a more traditional table-setter, geared toward creating out of pick-and-rolls and initiating halfcourt sets.

That's not to say Jokic and Paul wouldn't be able to combine their brain power to break opposing offenses. But, Paul setting up Jokic with a few easy finishes at the rim every night wouldn't hurt either. Jokic is one of the best screeners in the NBA and a highly adept finisher, blessed with the softest hands and greatest dexterity of any 7-footer in modern history. CP3 would love playing with him.

Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Denver's brigade of spot-up shooters would also benefit from CP3's arrival. Murray has enough size and defense to share the floor with Paul; those two would be quite synergistic on offense as well. This is a great fit, and Paul is arguably joining the championship favorites. He won't make much money here, but he could write one hell of a final chapter.

3. Chris Paul can reunite for one last ride with Thunder

Chris Paul spent one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019-20. He arrived as part of the Russell Westbrook trade with Houston. Not much was expected of that OKC team, but CP3 made the All-Star game, finished top-seven in MVP voting, and led the Thunder to the postseason with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as his backcourt mate.

It was one season, but we're still feeling the reverberations of that season today. CP3 was a valuable mentor to SGA, his fellow three-character abbreviation who has since blossomed into a bonafide NBA superstar. Paul embraced the city and an organization that treats its players well. Now, he could be inclined to help finish the job.

In many ways, CP3 would be able to bookend chapters in OKC history. His trade to Phoenix kickstarted the Thunder's long, patient rebuild. Now the fruit of that rebuild is blossoming, and Paul could supply OKC with much-needed veteran leadership. The Thunder are a determined and strikingly mature group, but age has been a concern all season. It's hard for young groups to execute under the bright lights in the playoffs. What Paul can't supply on the court, he can make up for in the locker room, and with his voice.

It's hard to consider this a proper reunion — Paul spent more time with New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, all Western Conference contenders that could arguably still use him — but few teams feel better suited to CP3's return at this stage of his career than OKC.

2. Chris Paul can join Knicks to address backup point guard concern

Frankly, the New York Knicks don't need Chris Paul. Deuce McBride is a dude, and the Knicks have enough collective playmaking between Donte DiVincenzo, Alec Burks, and a healthy Julius Randle to carry water in the non-Jalen Brunson minutes. Still, Tom Thibodeau has never been one to shy away from a gutsy vet.

CP3 would need to prove his mettle on the defensive end, but it's hard to imagine Thibs not falling head over heels in love with the Point God. Paul's basketball I.Q. has not waned an iota. He's a true genius on the floor, capable of reading the defense several steps in advance and setting up his teammates for success.

New York typically takes the 'West Side Story' approach to basketball — it's an anything-goes street fight. That can lead to some messy offense, especially when it's Randle who is leading the charge. Maybe New York swings for a bigger fish on the trade market, but absent a true superstar upgrade, the Knicks would benefit from Paul's ability to control the rock, mediate tempo, and provide structure.

If Paul wants to go out with a bang, it's hard to pick a better stage than Madison Square Garden.

1. Chris Paul can go out with the Heat's voodoo squad

No team is better at resurrecting careers and maximizing niche skill sets than the Miami Heat. Not that Paul's career needs resurrecting necessarily, but he's 38 years old. He's starting to slow down. Paul's defensive aptitude has declined and he's less evasive with his handle, forced to use screens and footwork to gain separation and navigate traffic.

If any team can get a lot out of a 6-foot point guard who doesn't defend or pressure the rim, it's the Heat. Erik Spoelstra is a wizard, a master tactician whose team is always operating like a well-oiled machine. Paul can still understand scheme and embrace team concepts as well as any player in the NBA. He would pick up on Spo's tendencies and learn the Miami playbook front-to-back, no problem.

On the court, Paul's value is somewhat limited in Miami. The Heat run a lot of actions through Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo already. Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier are both under contract next season and require ball-handling reps in the backcourt. Neither is a great defender, and their slight frames complicate a potential fit with CP3.

And yet... we're talking about Miami, a team that has proven it can compete in the postseason regardless of seed. Regardless of regular season performance. Paul would still find a way to contribute with nifty dimes and mid-range pull-ups. He can still think the game at a high level, and Spo is sure to derive value from Paul's basketball mind, as much as anything else. We can't not mention the Heat.