由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
凯文·佩尔顿(Kevin Pelton)，ESPN高级撰稿人
2024年6月30日，美国东部时间晚上9:51
简介
- 《职业篮球展望》系列丛书合著者
- 曾担任印第安纳步行者队的顾问
- 开发了WARP评级和SCHOENE系统
据ESPN的阿德里安·沃纳罗斯基周日报道，在被金州勇士队裁掉几个小时后，39岁的后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)同意与圣安东尼奥马刺队签署一份为期一年、价值1100多万美元的合同。
保罗是12届NBA全明星球员，征战联盟19个赛季，他将与联盟中最具潜力的年轻天才之一，20岁的维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)并肩作战。
马刺队在常规赛中取得了22胜60负的战绩，他们在休赛期开始寻找一名控球后卫，以帮助文班亚马更好地组织进攻。文班亚马在他的NBA处子赛季中，场均得分（21.4分）、篮板（10.6个）、抢断（1.2次）和盖帽（3.6次）均领跑全队。保罗在上赛季首次以替补身份出战，他将作为联盟历史上助攻数排名第三的球员（11894次助攻）来填补这一空缺。
ESPN内部人士凯文·佩尔顿对这份合同进行了分析，并给出了评分。
克里斯·保罗同意与圣安东尼奥马刺队签署一份为期一年、价值1100多万美元的合同
交易:
- 据报道，已同意与后卫克里斯·保罗签署一份为期一年、价值1100多万美元的合同*
评分： A
在克里斯·保罗19个赛季的NBA职业生涯中，他扮演过许多不同的角色，但作为一名经验丰富的老将，指导像维克托·文班亚马这样年轻且才华横溢的球员，对他来说将是一个全新的挑战。
此前，保罗在2020年加盟菲尼克斯太阳队，成为一支天赋异禀的年轻球队的经验之声，这支球队随后在2021年打进了NBA总决赛，但那支球队的成长之路已经走得更远。在交易得到保罗之前，太阳队在2019-20赛季的战绩为34胜39负，其中包括在复赛园区取得的8胜0负。太阳队球星德文·布克(Devin Booker)当时已经征战了五个赛季，并入选过全明星阵容。
文班亚马与保罗在2005-06赛季作为新奥尔良黄蜂队的新秀时年龄相同，但他与保罗是完全不同类型的队友。圣安东尼奥马刺队 entrusting Paul to help guide Wembanyama in continuing to develop as an NBA player off and on the court.
即使是在39岁的年纪，也很难在自由市场上找到比保罗更适合担任这个角色的人选。根据Second Spectrum的追踪数据，就在2022-23赛季，保罗在为掩护球员创造投篮机会的次数上排名第三，仅落后于詹姆斯·哈登(James Harden)和特雷·杨(Trae Young)。
在文班亚马的新秀赛季，控球后卫特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)是他唯一可靠的挡拆搭档。根据Second Spectrum的数据，文班亚马为琼斯掩护后，每次挡拆机会能得到1.0分，与联盟中所有至少进行过100次挡拆配合的组合的平均水平相当。所有其他马刺队的持球手与文班亚马的挡拆配合，每次机会只能得到0.88分，在所有组合中排名倒数第五。
总的来说，保罗与金州勇士队的挡拆配合表现平平，但他与新秀中锋特雷斯·杰克逊-戴维斯(Trayce Jackson-Davis)找到了默契，每次挡拆机会能得到1.03分。考虑到文班亚马的终结能力和全面性，他和保罗在下赛季应该很容易就能超过这个数字。
鉴于文班亚马的多样化技术，圣安东尼奥马刺队不会希望他只是为保罗做掩护。当文班亚马面对速度较慢的防守者进行单打，或者在低位背打体型较小的防守者时，保罗的投篮能力也会有所帮助。别忘了，马刺队本赛季一开始让不会投篮的杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)（三分命中率31%）担任控球后卫，而琼斯的三分球命中率也低于平均水平（每36分钟出手3.2次，命中率33.5%）。防守方将不得不尊重保罗的投篮，他在2023-24赛季每36分钟出手4.9次，三分命中率为37%。
与保罗签下一份为期一年的合同，似乎是圣安东尼奥马刺队在满足文班亚马对竞争的渴望，以及着眼于最大限度地延长他的巅峰期之间取得平衡的理想方式。保罗将是控球后卫位置上的巨大升级，而马刺队在下个夏天仍将拥有超过4000万美元的潜在薪金空间，可以去追求一名球星级别的自由球员。
如果圣安东尼奥马刺队裁掉后卫德文特·格雷厄姆(Devonte’ Graham)（他的285万美元的薪水在7月8日之前得到保障），他们将拥有高达1400万美元的薪金空间，可以继续在自由市场或通过交易进行引援。圣安东尼奥马刺队需要确保给4号秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)和最近的乐透秀索汉、马拉基·布拉纳姆(Malaki Branham)和布雷克·韦斯利(Blake Wesley)留下足够的出场时间，以便他们能够继续成长，但再增加一名有贡献的球员应该不会造成太大的拥挤。
从长远来看，保罗的职业精神可能会对马刺队的年轻球员产生更大的影响。保罗在他的职业生涯中经历过各种风雨，他带来了作为前全国篮球运动员协会主席以及联盟巅峰时期前五名球员的独特视角。保罗已经为两位全明星球员，德文·布克和俄克拉荷马雷霆队的谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大(Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)，担任过老将导师。现在，他有机会去指导一位比这两位球星更有潜力的新星。
点击查看原文：NBA free agency grades: CP3 heading to San Antonio, joins Wemby
NBA free agency grades: CP3 heading to San Antonio, joins Wemby
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Senior WriterJun 30, 2024, 09:51 PM ET
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Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE systemA few hours after being waived by the Golden State Warriors, 39-year-old guard Chris Paul agreed to a one-year, $11 million-plus deal with the San Antonio Spurs, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday.
Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star and 19-year veteran, teams up with one of the league’s most intriguing young talents in 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs, after finishing the regular season 22-60, entered the offseason in search of a point guard to help facilitate the ball to Wembanyama, who led the team in points (21.4), rebounds (10.6), steals (1.2) and blocks (3.6) in his first season in the NBA. Paul, who came off the bench for the first time in his career last season, will look to fill that role as a one of the most prolific assisters in the league – Paul is third all time in assists with 11,894.
ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton breaks down the contract and hands out a grade on the deal.
Chris Paul agrees to a one-year, $11 million-plus deal with the San Antonio Spurs
Deal:
Agreed to a reported one-year, $11 million-plus deal with guard Chris Paul
Grade: A
Over the course of his 19-season NBA career, Chris Paul has played a number of different roles, but veteran mentor to a player as talented and as young as Victor Wembanyama will be a new one.
Previously, Paul joined the Phoenix Suns in 2020 as the experienced voice alongside a talented young group that subsequently reached the 2021 NBA Finals, yet that team was much further along in its development process. Before dealing for Paul, Phoenix finished 34-39 in 2019-20, including an 8-0 record in the bubble conclusion of the regular season, and Suns star Devin Booker had already played five seasons and been named an All-Star.
Wembanyama, who’s the same age as Paul was as a rookie in 2005-06 with the then-New Orleans Hornets, is an entirely different kind of teammate. San Antonio is entrusting Paul to help guide Wembanyama in continuing to develop as an NBA player off and on the court.
Even at age 39, it’s hard to find many better candidates for that role in free agency. As recently as 2022-23, Paul ranked third in most times setting up screeners to shoot out of ball screens behind James Harden and Trae Young, per Second Spectrum tracking.
During Wembanyama’s rookie campaign, point guard Tre Jones was his only viable pick-and-roll partner. Wembanyama’s ball screens for Jones yielded 1.0 points per chance, according to Second Spectrum, right about the league average for all pick-and-roll combos with at least 100 ball screens. All other Spurs ball handlers produced just 0.88 points per chance with Wembanyama, which ranked in the bottom fifth of all combos.
Overall, Paul’s pick-and-rolls with the Golden State Warriors were about average, but he found a strong partner in rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis, averaging 1.03 points per chance. Considering Wembanyama’s finishing ability and versatility, it should be easy for him and Paul to beat that mark next season.
Given Wembanyama’s diverse skill set, San Antonio won’t want him strictly screening for Paul. When Wembanyama is isolating slower defenders or posting up smaller ones, Paul’s shooting ability should be helpful, too. Remember, the Spurs started the season playing non-shooter Jeremy Sochan (31% from 3) at point guard, and Jones is also a below-average 3-point shooter (33.5% on just 3.2 attempts per 36 minutes). Defenses will have to honor Paul, who shot 37% on 4.9 attempts per 36 minutes in 2023-24.
Signing Paul to a one-year deal seems like an ideal way for San Antonio to balance Wembanyama’s desire to be competitive with keeping an eye toward maximizing his prime years. Paul will be a massive upgrade at point guard, while the Spurs maintain more than $40 million in potential cap space next summer to pursue a star free agent.
With up to $14 million in cap space remaining should San Antonio waive guard Devonte’ Graham, whose salary is $2.85 million guaranteed through July 8, the Spurs could continue adding in free agency or via trade. San Antonio needs to make sure to leave enough playing time for No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle and recent first-rounders Sochan, Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley to continue their development, but adding one more contributor shouldn’t create too much of a crowd.
In the long run, Paul’s professionalism could have a bigger impact on the Spurs’ young talent. Paul has seen it all over the course of his career and brings the perspective of a former president of the National Basketball Players Association as well as a top-five player in the league in his prime. In Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Paul has already served as a veteran mentor for a pair of All-NBA players. Now, he has a chance to guide a prospect with even more potential than both of those stars.
via ESPN