SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul ended his nineteenth NBA season in disappointing fashion, two weeks before his thirty ninth birthday. While the NBA’s third-oldest player is currently a reserve and sure past his All-Star prime, he is not expected to retire.

“It’s not even up for discussion,” Paul said of his future after the Warriors’ 118-94 season-ending loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night within the play-in tournament. “I just want to get back into the game.”

Where he’ll play next season is in query as a result of his uncertain contract status with the Warriors.

Golden State has committed to paying $174 million next season. The Warriors’ biggest free agent is guard Klay Thompson. Dario Šarić, striker, is a free agent. Gary Payton II has the alternative to just accept a $9.1 million salary for the 2024-25 season or decline the choice and turn out to be a free agent. All-Star guard Stephen Curry, forward Jonathan Kuminga and defenseman Moses Moody are eligible for contract extensions.

In 58 games, mainly as an alternative, Paul averaged 9.2 points, a team-high 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 26.4 minutes. Paul led all NBA reserves in assists and was twelfth within the league overall. The Warriors have until June 28 to make your mind up whether to exercise their $30 million team option for next season or opt out of it.

While Golden State could attempt to re-sign the 12-time All-Star as a free agent, there is a risk he signs elsewhere in what could be his first stint in free agency. By using Paul’s contract, they might keep him and likewise attempt to trade him. Ultimately, Paul’s fate will probably be decided by Warriors owner and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.

“I loved being there this year,” Paul said. “Of course, when the dust settles, we are going to talk. I would like to see what Mike and the others think.

Paul told Andscape that he really enjoyed fidgeting with longtime Warriors stars Curry, Thompson and forward Draymond Green. Paul also seemed comfortable as he recently cruised the waters of San Francisco Bay in Thompson’s boat. San Francisco is also near Los Angeles, where Paul’s wife and two children live.

The Warriors, who’ve won 4 NBA titles since 2015, missed the playoffs for the third time within the last five seasons. It was “weird” for Paul because he missed the postseason for the primary time since 2010. He has appeared in 15 postseason games in his profession and played within the 2021 NBA Finals.

“It feels amazing,” Paul said. “During the 2009-10 season, I tore my meniscus in New Orleans. That was the last time I missed the playoffs. This is weird now. I’m going to be a dad sooner than usual. This is difficult. That’s life on this league. You return to work and wonder what next (season) will seem like…

“But playing with Steph, Draymond and Klay is something I will never forget. I’m glad I got this opportunity.”

If the Warriors’ goal is to avoid wasting on salary, keeping Paul on the team at a $30 million salary could possibly be counterproductive. But in terms of his value to the Warriors, coach Steve Kerr and a number of other players – Curry, Green, Kuminga and rookie Brandin Pod Ziemia – raved about Paul.

Kerr was impressed by Paul’s leadership, mentoring of young players and professionalism as he got here on the bench for the primary time in his profession. Kerr, who has coached the Warriors for 10 seasons and played within the NBA for 15, added that Paul was certainly one of the “greatest professionals” he has ever encountered.

“It’s a difficult situation for him and he handled it brilliantly,” Kerr said. “He was all the time the purpose guard on his team. But you have a look at our team, we’re pretty small, and though he’s certainly one of our greatest players – if we wish to throw our greatest players on the market, and he’s certainly one of them – you begin adding Chris, Steph and Klay. It’s not an excellent lineup for (Paul), but he was unbelievable for us because he became our backup point guard. As I actually have said again and again, our minutes without starts were one of the best ever because of Chris’ leadership…

“But the way he handled it this year was extremely professional. (Paul is) a great mentor to the younger guys, one of the greatest professionals I’ve ever been around… just because of his approach, attitude and dedication. I love coaching Chris and I really hope we get him back next year. It’s a long off-season. We’ll have to see how it all works out.”

Curry said he ultimately enjoyed fidgeting with Paul and hopes his “friend” returns to San Francisco. The two-time MVP and Paul, each natives of North Carolina, went from Western Conference rivals this season, when Paul played for the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets, to teammates.

“He’s a professional who just approaches everything the right way,” Curry told Andscape. “It’s a rim head that is all the time fun to play with. You can all the time talk basketball and figure it out. I appreciated playing against him in one of the best period of his profession. I all the time loved being in the identical locker room (as him) because that is how I used to be built.

“As a friend, he was my guy from day one. We had a little situation with the enemy. I just understand how he approaches everything. He was fun to play with all year round.”

The only Warriors player who might be as fiery as Green is Paul. Green received his share of technical fouls and was suspended by the NBA for 12 games this season after punching Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic within the face on December 12, 2023. However, within the latter a part of the season, it was not unusual to see Paul play the large brother role with Green and helped him calm down.

“Chris was great,” Green said. “I’m grateful, honored and completely satisfied as hell that I had the chance to play with him this yr, that all of us had the chance to be teammates with Chris. This is something I’ve said 1,000,000 times in 1,000,000 years that I never could have even imagined. Apart from the victory (championship), it couldn’t have been higher.

“I learned a lot from him. I’ve built a relationship that can transcend whether he’s here next yr or not, whether I’m here next yr or not. I have never met many players like that on this league. It’s just an honor to play with him. As a teammate, I hope we will proceed to do what we do in these uniforms. I hope and pray he comes back and I do since it’s an honor to have him as a teammate. The way he competes makes you like fighting a man like that.

While the Warriors’ roster is mostly made up of veterans, there have been several young players who made an impact within the 46-36 season, including Kuminga and rookies Pod Ziemia and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Paul has a repute as a mentor to young players, and Kuminga and Pod Ziemia were grateful for what they learned from him.

“I learned the pace of the game,” Kuminga told Andscape. “CP is one of the guys who is very well prepared to play. He brings a lot of knowledge and just life to the court.”

Pod Ziemia told Andscape: “CP is great. It breaks every part all the way down to such a basic level that anyone can understand it. I feel like my IQ was quite high for a novice. So the conversations we have had about basketball, things that might help me within the future – little things like 2-on-1 and 3-on-2, tendencies – all those sorts of things that he’s instilled in me this yr will probably be there to assist me go ahead.”

Paul, a future Hall of Famer, played for the New Orleans Hornets, Clippers, Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Suns and Warriors. Time will soon tell whether Paul will placed on a Warriors jersey again or move elsewhere in hopes of winning his first NBA title.

While he waits for the Warriors’ verdict, Paul said he’ll enjoy some unexpected time with his family in Los Angeles while keeping an open mind about returning to the Golden State.

“I liked everything about being here,” Paul said. – But I suppose I would like to see what it looks like.