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By Shams Charania, Josh Robbins, Anthony Slater and David Aldridge
The Washington Wizards are trading guard Chris Paul to the Warriors for a package headlined by guard Jordan Poole, league sources told The Athletic.
- The Warriors are sending Poole, Ryan Rollins, a protected first-round pick in 2030 and a second-rounder in 2027 to the Wizards for Paul.
- The Phoenix Suns traded guards Paul and Landry Shamet, as well as at least four second-round picks and multiple pick swaps, to Washington for guard Bradley Beal on Sunday.
- Wizards officials told The Athletic Sunday that they would like to have Paul on the roster next season, but would work with the Suns and Paul to trade him if he preferred to play elsewhere.
Warriors are sending Jordan Poole, a protected first-round pick in 2030 and a second-rounder in 2027 to the Wizards for Chris Paul, league sources said. https://t.co/GLCIS0bDsg
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What is this trade about for the Warriors?
Several factors. The most immediate is the present. They are intent on maximizing Steph Curry’s fading title window. There’s clearly internal belief that Paul, who will turn 39 during next year’s playoffs, will better serve that 2024 goal as the team’s third guard than Poole, who turned 24 this week. Neither are coming off a great end to the season. Poole struggled relentlessly in the playoffs and Paul was injured again.
But there is also the financial factor. Poole was stepping into a four-year, $123 million extension beginning next season. Paul has $30.8 million on his deal this upcoming season and then a non-guaranteed $30 million the following season, giving the Warriors far more flexibility as they eventually intend to duck under the second tax apron and the subsequent penalties in the newest CBA. — Slater
Any other aspects of this trade for the Warriors?
They got off Rollins’ contract in the deal, freeing up a needed roster spot. Rollins had a guaranteed contract for next season and a non-guaranteed contract the season after. This allows them to add an extra veteran minimum come free agency, increasing this pivot back to the present.
Another factor: Several insiders have already expressed an expectation that Steve Kerr will be amped for the Paul addition. Kerr has long believed the Warriors are at their best when they have a more traditional point guard as a regular part of the rotation, settling everything down. It’s why he adored Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston and what he felt was missing last season. Paul is as traditional as a point guard gets. But, man, the Warriors will have a small backcourt. — Slater
GO DEEPER
Slater: Why the Chris Paul-Jordan Poole trade happened for the Warriors
Why this is a win for the Wizards
Suddenly, the underwhelming return on Washington’s trade of Beal to Phoenix looks far better. The Wizards have flipped Paul, who never fit into their short-term or long-term plans, for a quality 24-year-old guard and some badly needed draft capital. And perhaps the Wizards will choose to trade Poole down the line for more draft capital.
Moving off Beal’s albatross contract in the trade with Phoenix and avoiding a long-term salary commitment to Kristaps Porziņģis (by not re-signing Porziņģis and trading him to Boston) made it more palatable for Washington to take on Poole’s contract. — Robbins
The “Washington should just cut Chris Paul” crowd has, suddenly, grown silent. Turning a 38-year-old guard who had no intention or desire to play for a radically rebuilding team into a 24-year-old guard on a big, but hardly horrendous, contract — a 24-year-old who played a prominent role on a championship team just 12 months ago — along with GSW’s second-rounder from last year, Rollins, and a future first and second from the Warriors, is a pretty solid return. If the Wizards do draft Anthony Black tonight with the eighth pick in the first round, they’d have a pretty interesting young backcourt to start building around.
But, after the last seven days in D.C., I’m not going to predict anything about what this new front office is going to do next. — Aldridge
How risky is this move for the Warriors?
Extremely. Poole played all 82 games this past season. He has been essential for them when Curry or Klay Thompson miss regular season games and those two tend to miss at least a handful. Paul, quite obviously, is not as reliably available and doesn’t have nearly the long-term upside. When Poole is in the third and fourth year of his extension, entering his prime, Paul may be retired.
But this is about the now and the Warriors do have outsized belief in Rick Celebrini and their training staff to keep older players healthy and fresh when the playoffs come around. They’ve guided Thompson through some brutal injuries, brought Draymond Green back from a nerve scare and maintained Otto Porter Jr’s health long enough for him to be a useful part of the 2022 title run. But this bet on Paul and the cost associated with it is a higher-stakes risk. — Slater
Backstory
Paul was the fourth-overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2005 NBA Draft. Paul played the first six seasons of his career in New Orleans before playing the next six with the Los Angeles Clippers. He then served stints with the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and, most recently, the Phoenix Suns.
Paul has started all 1,214 regular-season games he’s played, averaging 17.9 points, 9.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Required reading
(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
Warriors trading for Chris Paul, sending Jordan Poole, draft picks to Wizards: Sources - The Athletic
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