NBA Scout 'Believes the Spurs Will Make a Hard Push for' Chris Paul or Fred VanVleet

One Western Conference scout believes the San Antonio Spurs will make a push for Chris Paul or Fred VanVleet in free agency, per LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk.

"When free agency opens, a scout for a Western Conference team believes the Spurs will make a hard push for either Chris Paul or Fred VanVleet. He posits that the opportunity to pair Wembanyama with an experienced playmaker at point guard will ultimately be impossible for San Antonio to pass up."

The Suns are reportedly "exploring" their options regarding Paul, one of which includes waiving the 18-year veteran, per Duane Rankin of azcentral.

VanVleet, who has played his first seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors, has reportedly declined his 2023-24 player option to become an unrestricted free agent in July, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Paul, a 12-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA player, averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists for the Suns last season. VanVleet posted 19.3 points and 7.2 assists for the Raptors.

Both players would be immensely helpful to a Spurs team that appears destined to enter a new era thanks to Victor Wembanyama, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

The 7'5" French superstar should usher in a new era in San Antonio, which has missed the playoffs the past three seasons after making them for 22 straight years (while also winning five NBA titles).

The young Spurs team is coming off a 22-60 season, its worst record since going 21-61 in 1996-97. That performance led to the Spurs getting the No. 1 pick in the lottery for the 1997 draft, however, and they used it to take Tim Duncan, an eventual five-time NBA champion.

Duncan had veterans to lean on in San Antonio, most notably fellow big man David Robinson. San Antonio needs some veterans who have found success elsewhere, and Paul and VanVleet could both fit that bill. The fact that they are point guards further ushers them into leadership roles, and that could help the Wembanyama era get off to a great start.

Ultimately, the Spurs aren't far off from the playoffs if they can add more All-Star caliber talent in free agency alongside Wembanyama.