The San Antonio Spurs surprisingly secured an 82-game season from 39-year-old Chris Paul before letting him walk in free agency, which has quickly turned into a genius move by the franchise. Fans laughed as [CP3 returned to the Clippers](https://airalamo.com/spurs-fans-only-laugh-chris-paul-returns-home-final-year), but things are so much worse than they thought. Paul was so bad to begin this season that he has been a DNP-CD in the last two games.
The future Hall of Famer made a gigantic impact in San Antonio. The Spurs benefitted from his leadership, playmaking ability, and know-how. Paul was not the superstar fans remember, but starting all 82 games at his age was impressive. The Spurs [knew they needed an upgrade](https://airalamo.com/clippers-come-brutal-chris-paul-realization-spurs-have-known-along). It is why they traded for De’Aaron Fox and drafted Dylan Harper. They were lucky to get off of CP3 when they did.
Paul returned to Los Angeles to be closer to his family. Fans knew he would back up James Harden and play less on the Clippers, but nobody expected this sudden drop-off. CP3 has been so bad that head coach Tyronn Lue dropped him from the rotation after eight dreadful performances.
Spurs proven right for dumping Chris Paul at exactly the right time
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CP3 is averaging 2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 12.9 minutes per game so far this season. Those would all be career lows, and his shooting efficiency is even worse. Paul has made 24.0 percent of his field goals and 26.3 percent on his 3-point attempts. His 34.0 effective field goal percentage is the fifth-worst in the NBA among anyone who has played in at least eight games.
The 40-year-old point guard has a 0.0 value over replacement player (VORP) and sits 324th in win shares per 48 minutes. For comparison, CP3 was 68th in win shares per 48 last season and produced a 1.6 VORP. Father Time is undefeated, and it looks like he quickly caught up to Chris Paul.
There is no coming back for the 40-year-old guard. If he gets back in the rotation, Paul will shoot better and make plays, but the speed, quickness, and overall impact are gone. It appears year 21 in the NBA will be CP3’s last, as he has fallen off a cliff.
The Spurs saw the warts up close and were quick to move on. His production dropped off over the final 13 games last season, and the legend has clearly been in decline for years. San Antonio grabbed his last productive year and got out of the Chris Paul business before it came back to bite them.
The San Antonio Spurs are looking like a serious title contender as CP3 is helping sink the Clippers. LA looks old and slow as Victor Wembanyama has made the leap into an annual MVP challenger. The teams and players are on opposite paths. The Spurs were happy to have Paul’s leadership and knowledge. Luckily, they got it at exactly the right time and cut bait before the legend’s decline made him a replacement-level player.