The Philadelphia 76ers could have gone after Chris Paul in free agency, but a recent development points to the team dodging a huge bullet overlooking him so far this offseason.
As the 76ers entered the offseason, one of the most glaring issues that continue to hound them is their complete lack of natural playmakers in the lineup. Philly did well drafting VJ Edgecombe out of Baylor, but he is nowhere near a floor general at this point in his career. Even their pick-up from the undrafted players pool, Hunter Sallis, profiles as a shooting guard.
With Kyle Lowry slated to be on his way out soon enough, the 76ers front office should seriously consider arming the team with a legitimate point guard who can set the table for their litany of scorers. The squad’s roster makes it so that it won’t be necessary to go after a starter, but having someone who can organize the team’s offense in the half-court would be a great way to round out the roster.
Before the team went on to draft Edgecombe and further fortified the back court, it seemed reasonable for the 76ers to go after someone like Paul who, despite 40 just recently, still intends to continue playing. However, following the latest buzz, it is only ideal that the front office did not make that a reality.
The 76ers were right not to chase Chris Paul in free agency after latest rumor
Paul, who will be entering his 21st season in 2025-26, played and started in all 82 games for the Spurs last season, largely due to San Antonio lacking a talented point guard on the roster before it traded for De’Aaron Fox and molded Stephon Castle into being one. Still, this can be largely pointed to the Spurs not really being serious about winning games during the recently concluded campaign.
Nevertheless, CP3 seems to envision himself replicating the role he played in San Antonio in his next landing spot. He is still eyeing a starting role, and for that, the 76ers definitely dodged a bullet.
While he is still one of the best table-setters in the league without question, Paul has declined on most facets of the game that a move to the second unit would be best for him. He would not have started with the 76ers had the team gone after him, and there are not a lot of teams serious about contending that would freely hand him the reigns as the lead point guard.
The Philadelphia 76ers still need to settle the dust with Quentin Grimes, meaning their envisioned back court is still missing a huge piece of the puzzle. But no matter what happens on that front, they should probably skip the idea of signing Chris Paul, although that seems unrealistic even if they wanted to.