NBA star Chris Paul will join Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors following another massive NBA trade deal this week. The Washington Wizards, who just traded for Paul on Sunday, will deal him to Golden State in exchange for Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, a 2030 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
Beyond the unfathomably distant draft picks, the Warriors’ exchange of Poole for Paul is an obvious sign that the team is looking to bolster its short-term outlook. Though Poole is a budding NBA talent coming off a career-best scoring season, the 2019 first-rounder also struggled mightily in the playoffs this season. It was a far cry from his star-making showings which helped Golden State win the championship a year prior.
While Golden State came to count on Poole for a time, the team was likely unwilling to meet the needs of the young player at a time when it is looking to capitalize on the final seasons of a historic dynasty. Stars like Curry and Klay Thompson have been the backbone of the Warriors for the better part of a decade at this point. Their success is unparalleled by any team in recent memory. With the clock ticking, however, more established players like Paul could prove useful as the team attempts to maintain its core for another championship run.
While the Warriors try to find ways to maintain greatness, the Wizards are simply in search of a way forward and have gone all in on future investments. On Sunday, the team sent Bradley Beal and point guard Jordan Goodwin to Phoenix for Paul, shooting guard Landry Shamet and a boatload of future draft picks. On Wednesday, the team traded Kristaps Porzingis for Tyus Jones, Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari and the 2023 35th overall pick in a three-way deal with the Celtics and Grizzlies.
Washington had no real use for Paul, a 38-year-old point guard looking for a win-now team, but the team has now flipped him for even more potential. Poole and Rollins, a 20-year-old shooting guard, have found a much more suitable spot to grow and develop, far outside the massive shadows of titans like Curry and Thompson.
