Isaiah Thomas thinks the San Antonio Spurs are one veteran away from a championship. And no, he’s not talking about himself.
The former All-Star guard pointed directly at the Spurs’ decision to let Chris Paul walk in free agency last summer. In Thomas’s view, that single move cost San Antonio a shot at the NBA Finals trophy they just lost to the New York Knicks in five games.
“I believe if they had Chris Paul on this roster, they would’ve won the finals,” Thomas said on the Point Game podcast. “And not even saying Chris Paul to get out there and play. He doesn’t even have to get valuable minutes. But his experience, and who he is, his Hall of Fame career, would’ve helped De’Aaron Fox. Would have helped Castle. Would have helped Harper.”
Paul spent last season with the Spurs during their surprise run to the Western Conference Finals. He played a mentor role for a young core that included Victor Wembanyama and rookie guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. But when free agency opened, San Antonio let Paul sign elsewhere — and Thomas believes that was a fatal error.
“It would have slowed that whole team’s mind down in those situations where it’s time to execute,” Thomas said. “We need a basket, we need a good shot. So that is something that I think they need — a veteran point guard that can still play at a high level. But opportunity, maybe he doesn’t play, but he’s been in these situations. He understands it.”
A veteran gap showed in the Finals
The Knicks had their own inexperience problem. But New York’s young stars played like they’d been there before. San Antonio’s didn’t. When the pressure peaked in Games 4 and 5, the Spurs looked lost in half-court sets. They rushed shots. They turned the ball over. They didn’t have a steady hand on the wheel.
Thomas thinks Paul could have been that hand. Even if he only played 12 minutes a night — or none at all. Just having him in the locker room, in timeouts, in film sessions, might have changed the series.
It’s a fair argument. The Spurs’ collapse in the fourth quarter of Game 4, when they blew a nine-point lead in the final six minutes, looked exactly like a team that needed a veteran voice. Thomas says that voice was sitting at home because the front office didn’t bring him back.
The question now: What does San Antonio do?
The Spurs have cap space. They have assets. They have Wembanyama, who already looks like a top-five player in the league. But they don’t have a proven point guard who can handle championship pressure. Fox is talented but erratic. Castle is a rookie who played well, but rookies make rookie mistakes in the Finals.
Thomas didn’t say the Spurs should chase a specific name in free agency or the trade market. He just said they need someone like Paul. Someone who has been through the fire. Someone who can slow things down when the game speeds up on a young team.
San Antonio’s front office has to decide if they agree. They passed on keeping Paul once. After watching the Finals slip away, they might not make that same mistake again.
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