Inside The Spurs

Spurs Starter, Monday, July 1, 2024: San Antonio Makes 1st Offseason Splash With Chris Paul

Your daily briefing on what's going on with the San Antonio Spurs, including news, draft & more.

Matt Guzman

Apr 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chris Paul attends game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena.
Apr 23, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Chris Paul attends game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Happy Monday, Por Vida fans! Welcome to your morning Spurs Starter.

The idea of the San Antonio Spurs adding talent through the offseason — aside from the NBA Draft — had long-been speculated. Whether the young team would pursue an up-and-coming star or a true veteran was one of the major questions, especially.

Sunday evening, both of those ideas were addressed.

The Spurs spoke with Chris Paul and came to terms for the 19-year point guard to join the Silver & Black on a one-year, $11 million deal, which is eligible to be officially signed on July 6 at 12:01 p.m.

READ MORE: San Antonio Spurs Land NBA Veteran Chris Paul in Free Agency

Paul no longer puts up the numbers he used to in his prime, but he brings a strong locker room presence and mentoring voice for both Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, the Spurs' rookie point guard from UConn. Whatever time he does spend on the court is a bonus, as he'll be able to truly direct an offense of young stars and show them the ropes.

The point guard had been linked to San Antonio on previous occasions, including last offseason and trade deadline, but those rumors were never fleshed out. Now, the Spurs have officially landed him.

The "Point God" is officially a Spur.

Here are some other headlines:

THE NEWS

1. READ: WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM SPURS' DRAFT PICKS, TRADES?

The San Antonio Spurs' 2024 NBA Draft was telling regarding the direction the young team is choosing to take to improve, and for multiple reasons.

Check out the full breakdown above.

2. READ: IF VICTOR WEMBANYAMA WAS 'THE WAVE,' THE NBA IS CERTAINLY RIDING IT

French prospect Zaccharie Risacher being taken No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Hawks marked the second straight season a Frenchman was taken tops, and the beginning of a new era of France-made NBA talent.

Read the full story above.

Atlanta Hawks first overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher (10) poses for a photo at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex.
Jun 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks first overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher (10) poses for a photo at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

3. READ: WITH DEJOUNTE MURRAY GONE, COULD SPURS TRADE FOR TRAE YOUNG?

The San Antonio Spurs have the resources to make a big push this offseason, but whether or not they will is still in the air. That being said, they'd be remiss to not at least explore the fire sale happening in Atlanta.

Read the full story above.

THE DRAFT

Now that the 2024 NBA Draft is over, you can check out the newest Spurs and what they might bring to the team next season and down the road. Below are the three profiles of the rookies selected:

Round 1, Pick No. 4: Stephon Castle

Round 2, Pick No. 36: Juan Nuñez

Round 2, Pick No. 48: Harrison Ingram

THE SCHEDULE

There are still over 100 days until opening night of the 2024-25 season, but the San Antonio Spurs have more to look forward to prior to that. Before even pre-season — which one of their games is already known to be against the Miami Heat — the Spurs will head to Sacramento to participate in the Kings' annual California Classic.

Below is a list of dates and start times (all in CST) for that tournament, as well as the NBA's annual 2K25 Summer League held in Las Vegas:

California Classic

Jul. 6 - Spurs vs. Hornets (Tipoff 7:30 p.m.)
Jul. 7 - Spurs @ Kings (Tipoff 9 p.m.)
Jul. 9 - Spurs vs. China (Tipoff 7 p.m.)

2K25 Summer League

Jul. 13 - Spurs @ Trail Blazers (Tipoff 8 p.m.)
Jul. 14 - Spurs @ Hawks (Tipoff 7 p.m.)
Jul. 16 - Spurs vs. Pelicans (Tipoff 9:30 p.m.)
Jul. 19 - Spurs vs. 76ers (Tipoff 7:30 p.m.)

AROUND THE NBA

Catch up on some of the league-wide headlines below:

THE CLOSER

Make sure to check out our homepage for more news and follow us on the platforms below. Thank you for tuning in and enjoy the rest of your Monday.

Published
Matt Guzman

MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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