Isaiah Thomas believes Chris Paul staying could've won the title for the Spurs

Isaiah Thomas believes Chris Paul staying could’ve won the title for the Spurs originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The 2025-26 season had some amazing stories, but one of the best was the San Antonio Spurs‘ sudden rise to become a championship contender. With Victor Wembanyama at the forefront, the Spurs went from missing the Playoffs the previous year to reaching the NBA Finals.

It was a superb season for the Spurs, but they ended up disappointed because they lost in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks. During that NBA Finals series, it seemed the Spurs lacked veteran leadership, which they had the season before with Chris Paul.

Isaiah Thomas argues that Chris Paul could’ve won the title with the Spurs

During the 2024-25 season, it looked like the Spurs were on the rise. They had a promising first half of the season, but it was all ruined when Wembanyama suffered the blood clots that forced him to sit out the rest of the season.

In that first half, it was clear that the Spurs had a bright future with Wembanyama and Stephon Castle leading the way. They also had a tremendous leader in the locker room with Paul.

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While Paul never won a championship in his career, he was a valuable leader. In the locker room, everyone would respect Paul because of his success and his natural leadership ability.

That is why former NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas thinks CP3 would have been a great fit for the 2025-26 Spurs. Unfortunately, he went back to the Los Angeles Clippers for one final NBA season, but that also ended abruptly when the Clippers let him go, and he promptly retired.

“I believe if they had Chris Paul on this roster, they would’ve won the Finals. Not even saying Chris Paul to get out there and play, he doesn’t even have to get valuable minutes. His experience and who he is, his Hall of Fame career, would’ve helped De’Aaron Fox, Castle, Harper,” Thomas said on the Point Game podcast.

Thomas brings up a great point because this team lacked the leaders outside of the youngsters, De’Aaron Fox, and Harrison Barnes. Even Fox needed a leader by his side, which Paul could have done. 

Unfortunately, Paul went back for one final year with his beloved Clippers. It did not end well for him, especially with how much Paul’s leadership could have helped the Spurs get the title over the line.

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