Chris Paul, D'Angelo Russell's Top Free-Agent Landing Spots After 2025 NBA Draft
The 2025 NBA draft is old news.
Well, the just-wrapped-up first round of it is, anyway.
Maybe we're just impatient, but we're already thinking about free agency. Specifically, we're thinking about the free-agency ventures of a couple of veteran floor generals, Chris Paul and D'Angelo Russell, and educated-guesstimating where they might end up.
Chris Paul
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Paul turned 40 in May, and his age has shown up in various ways. He isn't the scoring threat he once was, his shooting efficiency has taken a hit and he has clearly lost some mobility on the defensive end.
All of that said, few run an offense better than the point god. Even this past season, the gap between his average assists (7.4) and turnovers (1.6) was cavernous. Plus, he still made the San Antonio Spurs' attack 5.6 points better per 100 possessions than it ran without him, per NBA.com.
For win-now teams seeking a steady hand at point, Paul has his appeal.
Orlando Magic
After brokering a blockbuster trade for Desmond Bane, the Magic hope they've found the league's latest three-headed monster with him, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Paul could be the perfect dissectologist to put all of the pieces together.
His decision-making remains top-notch, and his veteran know-how could prove invaluable for this young, ascending roster. If the Magic aren't convinced Anthony Black is ready to run the show or that they'd have enough table-setting with a Bane-Jalen Suggs backcourt, Paul could be a great get as a stopgap lead guard.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is hoping to win right now. If you take the Mavericks at their word, that was the impetus behind shipping out Luka Dončić to land Anthony Davis. Those dreams were dashed for this season when Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL in early March, and if they can't find a serviceable replacement for as long as he's on the mind, that ailment could derail next season's hopes, too.
So long as the Mavericks don't need scoring from this spot—if Cooper Flagg proves a rapid learner, they hopefully won't—they could picture Paul as the ideal stand-in for Irving. His vision and creation could help elevate everyone from their catch-and-launch wings to their high-flying lob-finishers.
Los Angeles Lakers
Are conditions right for Paul to finally join the Purple and Gold? Well, it sounds like he'd prefer being near his family in L.A., and this would allow him to suit up alongside his longtime friend, LeBron James. Not to mention, the Lakers' backup point guard situation wasn't great this past season, and it could worsen if they need to use Gabe Vincent as a salary-matcher in an offseason trade.
Would Paul be content with a backup role? Given how limited his options to start appear, the market may not offer another opportunity. If he's good with being a reserve, then he should be good with being a Laker.
D'Angelo Russell
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The 2024-25 season was an eventful one for Russell, who opened the campaign on the Lakers and closed it with the Brooklyn Nets. He authored some big performances here and there, but he was plagued by inconsistency and inefficiency (39/31.4/83.4 shooting slash).
He should be able to find other opportunities this offseason, but could his days as an NBA starter be in the rearview? It probably all hinges on where—if anywhere—he heads this summer.
Brooklyn Nets
The simplest solution to Russell's free agency would see him running things back in Brooklyn. The Nets have enough money to give him an over-market deal if needed, and they can give him all the touches he needs to hopefully emerge as a trade candidate down the line.
He seems comfortable in Brooklyn—during his first tenure with the team, he booked his first (and only) All-Star trip—and his ability to adequately run an offense would help simplify things for his younger teammates.
Milwaukee Bucks
Assuming those red-alert Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks don't actually come to fruition, the Bucks will be on the hunt for bargain ballers. Russell, a former All-Star who won't turn 30 until February, could qualify as such. He has put together helpful stat lines in the past; just in 2023-24, he gave the Lakers an efficient 18 points and 6.3 assists per night.
Milwaukee also needs someone to run the offense in place of Damian Lillard, who's out indefinitely after tearing his Achilles in April (and could be needed to make the money work if the Bucks go big on the trade market). Russell offers a similar—albeit far less dynamic—blend of scoring, playmaking and perimeter shooting.
Sacramento Kings
Remember when the Kings used to have De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton on the same roster? Well, their point guard rotation has since been reduced to shambles since trading both away. They have a few combo guards who are kinda, sorta capable of handling the spot, but no one who you would call a natural point guard.
Some might argue Russell doesn't fit that label, either—he can be prone to bouts of tunnel vision—but he's comfortable and capable operating as a modern scoring point guard. While he'd add to the Kings' challenges on the defensive end, he'd also up their offensive potency, so maybe that's a trade-off they'd be willing to make at the right price.
