Chris Paul Traded Again
Chris Paul is on the move once more. While his stay in Washington was just long enough for a cup of coffee, it was a move everyone knew was coming since the news of the Bradley Beal trade was first announced.
The Wizards are completely overhauling their roster, and are the current favourites to finish with the worst record in the NBA next year. So having a 38 year old floor general on their roster was never part of their plans. While several teams inquired about Paul’s availability, including his former team the LA Clippers, ultimately it was the Golden State Warriors who landed the future hall of fame point guard.
From West to East to West Again
Barely a week after the blockbuster trade that sent Beal from Washington to Phoenix, Chris Paul will be joining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and (now) presumably Draymond Green out west.
The Warriors sent Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, a protected 2030 first-round pick, and a second-round pick in 2027 to the Wizards, in a deal that also moves Poole’s 4yr/$128M contract off the books for the Warriors. By freeing up roughly $32M in AAV, the club hopes they’ll now be able to retain the services of Green on a multiyear deal.
Meanwhile the Wizards look to go full rebuild mode after trading Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in the same week. They could also be losing Kyle Kuzma who declined his player option for next season, leaving their roster extremely thin on NBA level talent.
The Winners
Winner Number One: The Warriors
The Warriors won this trade for a variety of reasons. Trading Jordan Poole and his $128M contract to the Wizards allows Golden State to gain more financial flexibility which will hopefully allow them to re-sign Draymond Green. Moreover, the Dubs hope that by removing Poole from the equation, that their team chemistry will recalibrate itself this year after things never seemed to fully get back on the rails following the Draymond punch at practice in 2022-23. Poole was a shell of himself following the incident, and a change of scenery is likely the best case scenario for all parties.
The addition of Paul will also help take some of the ball handling minutes off Curry, and allow Steve Kerr to keep his superstar guard fresh for the postseason.
Winner Number Two: Chris Paul
Chris Paul’s arrival to San Francisco gives the Warriors additional depth in the backcourt outside of the Curry-Thompson tandem. Averaging 8.9 assists per game last season, CP3 will inject some playmaking into the lineup which will allow Curry and Thompson to find spots for open treys. More importantly, teaming up with the greatest shooter of all time will increase Paul’s chances of winning an elusive championship before ending his career.
While his role decreased from being a superstar to being a role player over the course of the past seasons, a healthy Chris Paul is an effective contributor on the court. In his final season in Phoenix, CP3 averaged 13.9 points, 8.9 assists (fourth-best in the league), 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 44% field goal shooting. He also shot 37.5% from the three-point line.
With Curry and Thompson as his new teammates, CP3 doesn’t need to score as much or play heavy minutes like he’s become accustomed to. This will hopefully allow him to remain healthy long enough for the playoffs as the past few postseason runs saw CP3 going down with a variety of injuries during critical stretches.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Reports, the Warriors have no plans to waive CP3, meaning this isn’t just a way to get off of Poole’s deal. Instead, the Warriors, who lost against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference semifinals, will attempt another championship run- perhaps for the last time in the Steph Curry era. If they’re able to keep Draymond Green, Golden State will have two playmakers in different positions.
The Chris Paul trade doesn’t make the Warriors an instant championship contender but it moves them closer. Fans should be excited to see how the CP3-Curry duo will work out on the offensive end of the court for the first “non-All-Star game” time in their careers.
Losers: Washington Wizards (By Design)
With ostensibly 3 of their 5 starters from 2022-23 gone (assuming they don’t re-sign Kuzma), Washington could be rolling out one of the least inspiring lineups on Opening Night this fall.
On their final game of the season vs. Houston, the Wizards used a starting 5 of Jordan Goodwin, Johnny Davis, Corey Kispert, Isaiah Todd, and Xavier Cooks. And fans should get used to seeing similar deployments for most of 2023-24 as well.
The club acquired Victor Wembanyama’s Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly via a draft night trade, and then took Tristan Vukcevic from Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade in the 2nd round. They, along with the newly acquired Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, and youngsters such as Deni Avdija will all likely see long leashes, and big minutes in a season likely to be rife with losses.
While the 2024 NBA draft class doesn’t have a generational talent like this year’s did, it will feature some interesting players such as G-League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis, Zaccharie Risacher (France), Justin Edwards (Kentucky) and of course Bronny James (USC). And one can assume Washington will likely be right in the mix for a top pick throughout the upcoming season.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Tulane Public Relations. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.