By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It’s crazy how Chris Paul is now a member of the Golden State Warriors.
After getting shipped by the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Bradley Beal, the veteran point guard just got traded twice in just a week and is the newest member of the Warriors confirmed last June 23, 2023.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania announced Golden State’s latest off-season acquisition involving a deal with young scorer Jordan Poole who will now be sent to the Wizards.
Aside from getting Poole, Washington will also receive Ryan Rollins, a 2030 protected first-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
The moment Paul was traded to the Wizards, rumors already circulated that the Eastern Conference team immediately negotiated with the other franchises due to his $30.8 million active contract.
The Los Angeles Clippers showed interest in reuniting with their former franchise player several days ago but negotiations fell after the Warriors pushed the green button for Paul.
Bleacher Report’s veteran sports insider Chris Haynes then revealed that Golden State will not be waiving Paul and is the building block of their campaign for another NBA championship title this upcoming season.
Despite an injury-plagued past season for Paul who missed the last four games during their Western Conference semifinal matchup with the Denver Nuggets, the steady floor general proved he is still an efficient backcourt after averaging 13.9 points, 8.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds during the regular season.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will have a tough task on how to help Paul and Stephen Curry play cohesively and will still decide whether the former Phoenix star will be a starter or is a spark off the bench.
Now Golden State will have to turn their focus in re-signing Draymond Green who recently declined his $27.5 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent.
