Warriors Rumors: Jordan Poole-OG Anunoby Trade With Raptors Explored Before CP3 Deal

Before the Golden State Warriors decided to move Jordan Poole for Chris Paul, they explored the possibility of acquiring OG Anunoby.

Per The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, the Warriors called the Toronto Raptors to discuss a deal centered around Anunoby but Toronto wasn't interested.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on June 22 the Warriors agreed to trade Poole and Ryan Rollins to the Washington Wizards for Paul, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2030 protected first-round pick.

The Warriors pretty clearly seemed to prioritize moving Poole to a new team this offseason.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported last week the Warriors and Boston Celtics had talks about Poole before the Celtics made the three-team deal with the Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies that brought them Kristaps Porziņģis.

Fischer also noted the San Antonio Spurs "registered interest" in Poole, but they never made a significant offer to Golden State.

The Warriors' interest in Anunoby is intriguing because of what it could have meant for Draymond Green. Anunoby doesn't have the same resume as Green does, but he's one of the most versatile defensive players in the NBA.

If Golden State was afraid of potentially losing Green in free agency, Anunoby would have made a natural replacement on the defensive end of the court. He's also been a much better shooter than Poole throughout his career with a 37.5 percent success rate from three-point range.

Green could still end up leaving the Warriors after he opted out of his $27.6 million salary for next season, though NBA insider Marc Stein noted there's "strong confidence" the two sides will remain together with league sources projecting a three-year deal for the four-time All-Star.

If the Warriors have confidence Green is going to return, acquiring a player like Paul to replace Poole and let him run the second team when Stephen Curry is on the bench may be the best move they could make.

The Raptors are in an interesting spot this offseason with Darko Rajaković taking over as head coach. They had a disappointing 2022-23 season with a 41-41 record. Scottie Barnes took a step back in his second season after winning Rookie of the Year.

Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri hasn't given any indication he wants to do a full or partial rebuild of this roster.

Fred VanVleet is their biggest free agent, with Stein reporting Monday the Houston Rockets have serious interest in him and are preparing to make him a strong offer that would entice him to leave Toronto.

Anunoby is entering the final guaranteed season of his contract with an $18.6 million salary in 2023-24. He also has a $19.9 million player option for 2024-25.