What the Poole, Paul trade means for the Warriors
Mike Dunleavy Jr. made a splash in his first major move as the Warriors newest general manager.
The Warriors are set to deal Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for future Hall of Famer Chris Paul. As part of the trade, which can’t be made official until Poole’s extension kicks in July 6, the Wizards will also get second-year player Ryan Rollins, a protected 2030 firstround pick and2027 second-round pick from Golden State.
The Warriors did this as a commitment to the here and now, effectively throwing their long-touted two-timeline plan out the window. There’s a lot of layers to this jaw-dropping move that need to be examined:
Why Chris Paul?
Paul will transform from a storied Warriors adversary to a teammate both sides hope can help win them more titles before superstar Stephen Curry retires — and Paul his first ring in his 18-year career.
At first glance, the point guard swap seems risky. Poole turned 24 last week and signed a four-year extension after a breakout 2022 season in which he helped lead the Warriors to a title. Though he took a large step back and became turnoverand bad-shot prone in 2023 and was a mess in the playoffs, he still played all 82 games and averaged a little more than 20 points per game. He was essential when Curry or Klay Thompson missed time with injuries.
At 38, Paul is one of the oldest players in the NBA. He’s been injury prone in recent years, having missed a bunch of games — including some in this year’s playoffs with the Suns. But the Warriors have had success keeping some injury-prone players, such as Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II playable.
If Paul stays healthy, he could be just the right player to stabilize the bench and get the Warriors back to the NBA Finals. It’s simple: Paul is the high-IQ decisionmaker and capable scorer that’s been a staple for all winning Warriors teams. The Andre Iguodala- or Shaun Livingston-type of glue guy.
Expect him to make the game easier for young guys off the bench such as Moses Moody and, if he’s still around come opening night, Jonathan Kuminga.
Financial flexibility
The Warriors will have a lot more financial flexibility in coming years without Poole’s four-year contract, in which they were on the hook for an average $32 million per year.
Getting off that can help the repeat luxury-tax-offending Warriors find some flexibility with more punitive collective bargaining agreement rules coming into effect this year.
Paul is under contract through the 2024-25 season, but his contract is far more flexible and, therefore, can be more easily traded if necessary. He is under contract for $30.8 million this year, but that figure is only partially guaranteed. Paul’s $30 million salary in the 2024-25 season is non-guaranteed.
ESPN reported the Warriors will pay his salary this year in its entirety, but it still gives the Warriors the option to flip Paul this offseason without having to salary match in a trade. Free agency hasn’t yet begun — there’s a chance the Warriors flip Paul for another player.
A partial or non-guaranteed contract is far more appealing to teams in a trade because the financial commitments are flexible.
With Klay Thompson’s expensive contract coming off the books after this coming season and Poole’s guaranteed contract replaced with Paul’s partially-guaranteed one, the Warriors have a clearer path to getting under the luxury tax in the coming years.
A glaring concern
What the Warriors don’t need is another veteran showing off his fashion sense on the bench.
Paul is in a race against Father Time. He will turn 39 during the playoffs next season, the same age Iguodala was for the second half of this season.
Paul already has an injury history, which is a cause for concern especially at this point of his career. He was limited to 59 regular-season games and didn’t play in the Suns’ final four playoff games because of a groin injury.
The Warriors training staff, led by Rick Celebrini, has a chance to again show its value in keeping players healthy by helping Paul stay on the floor and serve as a leader for the secondary unit.
Then again, there’s no guarantee. Iguodala returned to the Warriors for one final season last fall after Celebrini designed a roadmap that would have him available in the second half of the season and in the playoffs — when the Warriors needed him the most. But Iguodala suffered two injuries and was sidelined for all but eight games.
What about Poole?
The Warriors had high hopes for Poole. That’s why they signed him to a fouryear, $128 million extension last October after his breakout third season.
But before he put the pen to paper, a team-altering incident changed the trajectory of last season and Poole’s long-term future.
It’s no secret the preseason altercation between Draymond Green and Poole cast a dark cloud over last season. While Poole dealt with the uncomfortable aftermath of a viral video of the team’s loudest and most respected leader punching him in the face, Green felt like he couldn’t be the fiery guy his teammates needed him to be.
Poole was inconsistent with his play last season as he had difficulty, at times, bouncing between being a starter and coming off the bench after having a breakout season that earned him a four-year, $128 million extension last October. Poole also expressed frustration with his wavering minutes, notably in the playoffs.
After the season ended in the Western Conference semifinals, coach Steve Kerr acknowledged the team’s championship culture was broken and needed to be repaired.
Kerr and Dunleavy seemed to believe that strained relationship between Green and Poole could’ve been salvaged this summer. Still, there’s no guarantee the two would ever be able to move past an incident so severe that Kerr called it the biggest crisis of his Warriors’ tenure. It seemed inevitable one or the other would have to go. While Green is expected to opt out of his $27.6 million contract, the Warriors have made their desire to bring him back clear.