Pros and Cons of Raptors making a run at signing Chris Paul

Cons

Paul is not going to take below market value, especially for a Raptors team that would give him less take-home pay. With the Raptors further away from a title than most teams out there, Paul might not be too interested in taking on a retooling of this magnitude.

Even if he did decide to come to the Raptors, Paul would be an expensive contract for a player that is currently in line to be the No. 5 scorer in terms of points per game. He will help move the ball in half-court sets, but he may not be a big needle-mover in terms of creating off the dribble outside of his trademark midrange.

Will the Toronto Raptors make a move for Chris Paul?

While modern medicine and athletic training has done a good job of delaying the appearance of Father Time, Paul playing as well as he has been is almost unprecedented. Outside of John Stockton, a point guard who plays like Paul playing this well into his late 30s has been hard to come by.

If Paul doesn’t work out, and his playoff demons come back to haunt them, the ripple effects will likely lead to the firing of whoever is hired as coach, the wasting of Barnes’ rookie contract, and some serious questioning related to Ujiri and the front office’s skill.