Windhorst: Warriors Didn't Trade for Chris Paul Feeling It Was an 'Amazing' Fit
The Golden State Warriors did not trade for veteran point guard Chris Paul because they believed he would be an "amazing" fit in their quick-moving offense, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today.
Windhorst reiterated his belief that the Warriors also accepted the deal to clear cap space.
"Remember, part of the reason they did this deal was a salary dump," Windhorst said. "It wasn't like they looked at this and said, 'Oh my God, this fit is amazing.'"
Windhorst's comments can be found at the 58-minute mark of the video below.
Paul's contract runs through 2025, and his $30 million salary is not fully guaranteed for next season. Jordan Poole, who went the other way in the trade with the Washington Wizards, is promised $123 million over the next four seasons.
"This deal, whether it was five percent, 51 percent, whatever, was partially done because they were dumping Jordan Poole's salary so that they could afford to pay Draymond (Green) and (Andrew) Wiggins and potentially Klay (Thompson) going into the future," Windhorst said.
This isn't the first time Windhorst has questioned Paul's fit with the Warriors. Last month, the ESPN analyst described the trade "largely as a salary dump," an opinion he said earned him some "blowback."
Paul is expected to start for the Warriors this season, according to ESPN's Marc Spears, although Spears indicated the 12-time All-Star's playing time would be limited to "five-minute spurts."
