Chris Paul's San Antonio Spurs contract isn't as simple as it seems
By Austin Owens
Chris Paul is about to enter his 20th season in the NBA at the age of 39. CP3 was Rookie of the Year in 2005-06, has appeared in 12 NBA All-Star games and is a nine-time All-Defense selectee but he has no NBA Finals ring. Most players of Paul's caliber at the end of their careers would be looking to join a super team to check off that accolade.
Interestingly enough, Paul signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs on June 30. Coming off the second consecutive season in which the Spurs went 22-60, it is easy to wonder why Paul would agree to join San Antonio. Sure, Greg Popovich's guidance and Victor Wembanyama's talent are two good reasons but it likely came down to the incentives in Paul's contract.
Chris Paul's contract details reveal opportunity for bonuses
Not only is it interesting that Chris Paul would agree to join the Spurs but quite frankly under $11 million for one of the best point guards the league has seen in a while is relatively cheap. On the surface, most would assume that it would take a ridiculous amount of cash to get Paul to join a non-contender.
Since the deal has been finalized, more details have been released regarding Paul's contract. CP3 has the opportunity to earn much more than his base salary via bonuses, according to ESPN. Within the superstar's contract, there are eight different incentives that could result in a major pay day. One of them is quite simple: win.
If Chris Paul can help the Spurs improve their win/loss record by 10 games this upcoming season, he can earn a bonus of $262,000. To put into perspective how wild this incentive is, all the Spurs have to do is win 39 percent of their games and Paul will get his bonus.
The other seven incentives have yet to be revealed but based off the one we know about, it appears San Antonio does not have high expectations and there is a good chance that Paul could reach all of them, hence why he inked a deal with the second worst team in the Western Conference a season ago.
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