Twenty years after the New Orleans Hornets drafted Chris Paul with the fourth pick of the draft, it’s time to consider bringing him back.
The Pelicans and the other 29 NBA teams can start negotiating with free agents on Monday at 5 p.m.
If I’m Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, one of the first calls I make is to CP3.
No, this isn’t just some feel good gesture to create a nostalgic full circle moment.
Bringing Paul back to New Orleans would fill a need for a franchise needing to get back on track after a disastrous season.
CJ McCollum, the locker room leader the past 3 ½ seasons, was traded to the Washington Wizards last week. His leadership (and the $30.7 million remaining on his 1-year contract) are now in D.C.
So there’s a void there.
And who better to fill that void than one of the best leaders, both on and off the court, than Paul?
Yeah, Paul just turned 40 in May, which is ancient in NBA years.
But Paul knows he’s near the finish line of his Hall of Fame career.
He won’t be expecting to break the bank with whatever team he signs with.
But it would be a chance for him to finish his career where he started it while bringing some much needed veteran presence to the team.
The Pelicans are as young as they’ve ever been.
Kelly Olynyk - the other player the Pelicans traded to the Wizards - and McCollum were the oldest two players on the roster.
Dejounte Murray, who turns 29 in September, is the next oldest. But he will most certainly miss the first part of the season rehabbing the Achilles he tore in January.
After Murray, the elders who play significant minutes on the team are now Jose Alvarado (27) and Herb Jones (26).
Paul could instantly step in and play in Murray’s absence. The Pelicans declined the team option on point guard Elfrid Payton on Sunday, according to a report by The Athletic, making the team even thinner at point guard.
Even more importantly, Paul could help groom Pelicans’ first round draft pick Jeremiah Fears. Paul could do for Fears what he did this past season for Spurs' guard Stephon Castle, who was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.
Fears, 18, wasn’t even born when Paul was drafted by New Orleans. Who better to teach Fears the ins and outs of being a pro than a guy like Paul, whose name should be hanging in the Smoothie King Center rafters one day.
For those wondering if the piece would fit, here’s what Dumars had to say about his philosophy on getting players to fit in general.
“You get guys who want to win,” Dumars said. “You get high IQ guys. Guys with real basketball character. Those guys fit in with anybody. When you get that you don’t have to worry about who they are going to fit with. Get high character, smart tough guys who want to win.”
Paul, one of the smartest players to ever play the game, checks all those boxes.
The Pelicans have only won two playoff series in franchise history. One was with Paul. The other was in the 2017-'18 season when the team had another demanding floor general, Rajon Rondo, on its roster. Those type players are needed.
Oh, and Paul is durable, a plus for a team that gets bitten by the injury bug like the Pels.
Paul played in all 82 games last season for the Spurs, making him the first player to do that this late in a career.
The Pelicans have other needs in free agency, too. They could use more help on the inside, especially with rim protecting and rebounding.
“It’s imperative that you have bigs,” Dumars said. “I’m not sure that we are done. You look at these teams and they are running two bigs out there. If you can’t match up, you’re in trouble. We want to make sure that’s a strong suit for us as well.”
Thee Pels could also stand to get better in defending on the perimeter. Those needs should be addressed.
But if you can bring back a guy who averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists last season with Paul's leadership skills, you should go for it. It’s probably a longshot, considering there are reports that Paul would prefer to play somewhere close to his home in Los Angeles.
It’s worth a try though.
Monday is the one-year anniversary of Paul signing a one-year, $11 million deal with the Spurs. The Spurs are the eighth team Paul has played for.
“Every team that he goes to, it seems like he impacts that group in a positive way,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said in March when Paul and the Spurs were in town.
Green and Paul were former teammates in New Orleans.
Now seems like a good time to bring them back together. Green as the coach. Paul as the coach on the floor in the city that gave him his start. It’s a city he still loves.
"After 20 years, the love for this city has never changed!" Paul wrote on Instagram after playing the Pelicans in May. "The journey started here, and I'll always have gratitude for the city of New Orleans.”
Who says the journey can’t end here, too?