Grading Warriors' Early Moves in NBA Free Agency

The Golden State Warriors haven't made many moves during the 2023 NBA offseason, but a few they've pulled off could reverberate across the entire Association.

Draymond Green, the most significant Warrior not named Stephen Curry, stuck around as an unrestricted free agent. Chris Paul, who played one of the more prominent villain roles in the story of the Golden State dynasty, improbably linked up with the team on the trade market.

Beyond that, though, it's been pretty quiet in the Bay. But sometimes quiet can be a good thing.

Is that the case here? Well, we'll examine that by giving a letter-grade assessment of the club's biggest moves so far.

Draymond Green

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 10: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors brings the ball up court during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in game five of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Chase Center on May 10, 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The Contract: Four years, $100 million

The Analysis: Green taking his talents elsewhere felt like a real possibility at times. Even if there have been endless debates over the type of player he'd be outside of this system, every team with money to spend and a desire to strengthen its defense felt like a logical landing spot.

In the end, though, the Dubs avoided any drama and kept their emotional leader, best defender and offensive quarterback.

It was a move they had to make if they wanted to remain relevant in the championship race. They had no means of replacing him if he left, and it's not like there are a lot of hyper-versatile defenders and playmaking bigs to fill that void anyway.

Given their lack of leverage, it's hard to complain about the contract. It might be longer than Golden State wanted and perhaps a pinch less lucrative than Green hoped, but that makes it a good middle ground for both.

The Grade: A-minus

Cory Joseph

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Cory Joseph #18 of the Detroit Pistons is guarded by Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Chase Center on January 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Contract: One year, $3.2 million

The Analysis: For a team doing its free-agent shopping on a budget, Joseph feels like the right kind of player to target.

There is no flash to his game, but his skill set includes both pesky perimeter defense and solid ball control. If he's needed to conduct the second team offense, he can keep it on track.

He doesn't provide much scoring, but Golden State knows that going into this deal and has a slew of players ahead of him on the offensive pecking order anyway. The Warriors are merely counting on defense and distributing from him, and he'll provide both. For his career, he's tallied three times as many assists (3.0 per game) as turnovers (1.0).

It's hard to get super excited about someone who may not be a nightly member of the rotation, but this is a solid signing regardless.

The Grade: B

Chris Paul

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors is guarded by Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center on March 13, 2023 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Trade: Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins, 2030 protected first-round pick and 2027 second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul

The Analysis: On initial glance, that looks like an overpay for Paul. The 38-year-old just played perhaps the least productive season of his career, and he's on the books for a whopping $30.8 million for 2023-24, per Spotrac.

But this was a dual-purpose deal for Golden State, and landing Paul—who could be the key to solving the non-Stephen Curry minutes that have plagued this group for years—was merely the second objective completed in the swap. The bigger one was unloading Poole, who will follow a disastrous 2022-23 season by starting the four-year, $123 million deal he inked in October.

"This all began when the Warriors decided that Poole was an extraneous and inefficient member of their roster," The Athletic's Tim Kawakami wrote. "That was the precipitating issue. The Warriors wanted out of the $123 million deal they gave Poole only eight months earlier because his play last season didn't meet that value, especially given their extreme luxury-tax pressures."

It's hard to give too much credit to a club for (potentially) fixing its own mistakes—especially at the cost of picks and prospects—but moving forward with Poole would've been a less than ideal situation for everyone. Paul is in interesting fit, because he plays a more methodical style than Golden State typically runs, but high IQ players almost always shine in this system, and the Point God has basketball smarts for days.

The Grade: B-minus