NBA rumors: Mavericks and Chris Paul have an affair and may leave the Spurs

An NBA insider revealed that the Mavericks closely monitor Spurs point guard Chris Paul during the offseason.

Earlier this month, the Dallas Mavericks won the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, and their prospects are bright. In addition to the possible pick of Cooper Flag in about a month, the Mavericks could also get the help of Chris Paul, one of the greatest point guards of all time.

Kyrie Irving suffered an ACL torn in March and is expected to miss most of the 2025-26 season, so the Mavericks are still competitive without Irving, but they need a point guard to complement their rotation. Paul served as mentor to 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Vibaniama last season with the San Antonio Spurs, and he could play a similar role in Dallas next season.

"Another name to watch for the Dallas team is Chris Paul," wrote NBA insider Mark Stein, who has been following the Mavericks for a long time. "The soon-to-be free agent turned 40 on May 6, but Paul also just played (and started) 82 games in his debut season as the San Antonio Spurs."

"Although Paul has achieved undisputed success with the Spurs as a mentor to Victor Victor Vibaniama and a young team, there is growing expectation that Paul will leave again this offseason. However, the reality is that the San Antonio Spurs signed Darron Fox in February and just watched Stephen Castle create a rookie of the year." Since the draw on May 12, the San Antonio Spurs have also tried to express their wishes to other teams, who intend to retain the second pick in the next month's draft to pick Dylan Harper of Rutgers. Regardless of whether Harper stays in Alamo City next season, it is hard to imagine that the Spurs will still have a place in the backcourt next season.

Paul is one of the oldest players in the league, but he still performed well during his time with the Spurs last season. Although he averaged a career low of 8.8 points per game, he averaged 7.4 assists and shot 37.7% from three-pointers, which is better than any season since the 2020-21 season.

When Paul joined the Mavericks (or if they joined), the composition of the Mavericks' lineup is still unclear. Although Irving was injured, he had a $44 million player option in the offseason; PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford entered the final year of their respective contracts and were likely to be traded; Dwight Powell had a $4 million player option; and two members of the Dallas backcourt, Dante Exam and Spencer Dinwiddie, are unrestricted free agents.

Whoever stays and leaves, having one of the smartest players in league history to coach Flag—one of the most anticipated NBA rookies in recent years—seems worth it for the Mavericks.