Chris Paul is on the move.
Hours after the veteran point guard was waived by the Golden State Warriors, various reports revealed that Paul was signing a one-year contract worth more than $11 million with the San Antonio Spurs.
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Paul George may be heading to the Philadelphia 76ers and leaving James Harden stranded in LA, but CP3 landing in San Antonio is the savviest move of NBA Free Agency so far - and maybe the entire offseason.
The Spurs were absolutely desperate to pair a veteran point guard with generational star Victor Wembanyama and now they have their man.
But not just any man - one of the greatest floor generals in the history of the NBA with quality, leadership and experience in abundance to (hopefully) take the Spurs - and Wemby - to the next level.
'Lob City 2.0' - Unlocking Wemby
Wembanyama is the face of the Spurs and Paul's arrival changes very little in the way of that.
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The 'Alien' had a historic debut season in The Association last year and broke all kinds of records en route to a unanimous Rookie of the Year award.
However, as the season went on, it became clear that the French phenom needed help in the form of a true guard and playmaker who could get the ball into his giant hands and feed him easy baskets.
He needed a pure point guard with a pass-first mentality. Few guards in the history of the game are as pure as 'the Point God' himself.
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12x All-Star Paul is a master in the pick-and-roll and has a proven track record of getting the best out of big men around him.
His days with the Los Angeles Clippers created the 'Lob City' phenomenon where the likes of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan lived above the rim and threw down vicious highlight reel dunks on a a nightly basis.
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Countless rim-runners played the best basketball of their careers with Paul orchestrating the offense, including David West and Tyson Chandler.
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Fans are already salivating at the idea of Paul rolling back the years and recreating 'Lob City' with a freakish athlete like Wemby.
"Wemby and CP3 this year Lob City 2.0," one person wrote on X.
Paul is third all-time in the NBA in assists with 11,894 and, despite playing primarily in a reserve role for the first time in his career last season, still managed to average 6.8 assists per game.
Wemby has never shared a locker room with a player who can run an offense and control the tempo of a game like Paul.
Time may be against him, but 39-year-old Paul's high IQ and Hall-of-Fame passing can still unlock even the stingiest of defences, as Wemby is about to find out with some of the easiest buckets of his career.
Paul reportedly spoke with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and was sold on the culture and opportunity to help elevate Wemby's game.
He will now get the chance to do exactly that while helping accelerate the Spurs' rebuild.
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Veteran leadership
Anyone who watched the Spurs last season will tell you they lacked veteran leadership.
They're a talented young core with bags of potential but they need help in preventing the bad decisions that continually cost them throughout a season that saw them finish with a 22-60 record.
Paul may be in the twilight of his career but he's exactly the type of locker room voice the spirited Spurs have been crying out for since the departure of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker all those years ago.
Paul is a straight-talking leader who will call out younger players for bad decisions and won't be afraid to let them know where they went wrong.
Sometimes the only way to grow and develop is by having the hard conversations, and no-nonsense Paul certainly won't shy away from those.
His style of leadership isn't for everyone but history tells us he immediately improves every team he lands on, whether that be the Hornets, Clippers, Rockets, Thunder or Suns.
Between Paul and head coach Greg Popovich, the Spurs' mercurial group now have two of the best minds they could wish for, which can only be a positive for their development moving forwards.
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Mentorship to young players
Paul is a smart individual who no doubt recognizes he's being partly brought in to mentor the young Spurs.
He might not have the rings (yet), but CP3 has been there, done it, and got the t-shirt, and will be an invaluable mentor for any number of the San Antonio youngsters to tap into throughout next season.
Paul's imminent arrival will be particularly beneficial for Stephon Castle, the point guard the Spurs just drafted with the No. 4 overall pick in this year's draft.
The 19-year-old out of UConn has already stated his desire to play point guard in the NBA. How that fits in with Popovich and Paul's plans remains to be seen.
But, whether he’s starting next to Paul or backing him up, the 6ft 6in Castle will undoubtedly learn a lot from CP3 about the art of scoring and playmaking.
He'll also learn a lot on the defensive end. Paul, who has made nine All-Defensive Teams, including seven first teams, is not the defender he once was, but can still impart a ton of wisdom for someone looking to improve that side of their game.
The acquisition of Paul makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons.
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Combined with the fact he's only on a one-year deal, so there’s no risk and he can be easily traded or waived if things go horribly, and it's a no-brainer of a move the Spurs simply had to make.
Many a blockbuster deal will still go down in free agency this offseason, but few are likely to make as much sense as Paul to the Spurs.