3 Instant Reactions to Chris Paul's Reported Trade to Warriors from Wizards
The Golden State Warriors have reportedly acquired point guard Chris Paul from the Washington Wizards for shooting guard Jordan Poole and draft picks, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.
The trade marks new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s first move after getting an offseason promotion, and he's put a big stamp on the 2023-24 roster before the draft even begins.
Here's a look at three instant reactions to the blockbuster deal.
Major Shift in Philosophy for Warriors
Golden State used to have a host of established championship-winning veterans (e.g. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green) suiting up alongside many young players trying to carve out spots in the rotation (e.g. Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga).
Now, there's been a clear roster shift toward the vets.
Wiseman, the team's No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is now gone after a trade to the Detroit Pistons during last season. And so is Poole, who inked a four-year, $128 million contract extension with the Dubs in 2022.
The 24-year-old Poole regressed in 2022-23, to the point where he struggled to even find playing time in the team's second-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite Dunleavy telling reporters earlier this week that he planned to have Poole around for "four more years, at least," he did not last four more days in the Bay Area.
With the 39-year-old Paul now in town, the Warriors are prioritizing the present in what could be a rapidly closing championship window given their stars' ages.
It remains to be seen whether the Warriors gave up too early on Poole to prioritize their present or if their reaction to the ex-Michigan star's regression was legitimate, but regardless, the Warriors' sense of urgency to win immediately only heightened after the trade.
How Will Paul and Curry Work Out?
Simply put, the Paul-Curry combo on paper is a puzzling one. If the Warriors decide to play both together, then they are rolling with a very small backcourt that becomes a defensive liability. Seeing Paul, a 12-time All-Star who just averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists per game, come off the bench for Curry would be a head-scratcher as well.
On the flip side, Paul and Curry are both future Hall of Famers and two of the best point guards in the history of this game. They can certainly figure out how to work around their deficiencies for the betterment of the team.
In essence, their talent, experience and intelligence can run paramount to anything else.
Jordan Poole Show in Washington
The Wizards are in full teardown and rebuild mode after trading Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis. Kyle Kuzma is also an unrestricted free agent, so the Wizards may be losing their top three scorers from last season.
Poole is coming off a season where he was tied for 20th in usage rate in the NBA despite playing on a team with one of the greatest scoring backcourts of all time in Curry and Thompson. He isn't afraid of taking shots any time and anywhere, and now he's going to get the opportunity to chuck up 20 or more field goal attempts per game.
The best barometer of what we might see from Poole is his 15-game stretch to close the 2021-22 regular season in place of an injured Curry. Per Basketball-Reference, Poole averaged 25.9 points on 44.0 percent shooting, 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 35.1 minutes per game.
Stretching out those numbers over an entire season could turn Poole into an All-Star in Washington as the Wizards enter year one of their new era.
