The Warriors Plan: Insanity or Brilliance?
Curry in an elite circle
Benjamin Zugner
5 hrs ago
With Chris Paul, the Golden State Warriors are getting even older and even smaller. At first glance, the crazy trade makes little sense – at second glance it probably does.
They have faced each other in 18 playoff games so far: Stephen Curry, the best three-pointer in NBA history, and Chris Paul, the “Point God”.
In the course of a mega trade between the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards, the US guard duo has now been reunited – plus Klay Thompson Curry’s longtime splash brother. The Warriors had to give up Jordan Poole for this, as well as a first-round pick and other assets.
A complex matrix of financial structures, an intact team structure and Hall-of-Fame coach Steve Kerr make the trade understandable.
And yet this implies a high risk for the former NBA champion from the Sunshine State.
Warriors concede Poole and a first-round pick
The most obvious argument against the trade right away: Age. Chris Paul, now 38 years old, sneaks across the NBA court, Jordan Poole is only 24 years old – and much more agile.
When CP3 was drafted in 2005 with the New Orleans Pelicans’ fourth draft pick, Poole had just turned six. He still has one master ring more than Paul.
Chris Paul in his first NBA year in 2005
However, he has been delivering constant numbers for 1,214 NBA games (17.9 points; 9.5 assists; 4.5 rebounds) – Poole disappointed just last season, played inconsistently and was sometimes not a part of the Warriors’ playoff run the rotation more.
So they are now putting their present ambitions for success ahead of their long-term plans for the future. With a ring-hungry Paul in the fall of his career, the window in which the dubs around their superstars Stephen Curry (35) and Klay Thompson (33) still have real championship ambitions should be exploited to the utmost.
Future plans will have to wait. The finances also illustrate this approach. With the sale of Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr., a protected top 20 first-round pick in the 2030 draft, and a 2027 second-round pick, the Warriors are giving away a decent amount of future capital.
Curry and Thompson with high salaries
Also, the contract with Paul in the first season ($30.8 million) is worth even more than it would have been with Poole ($28 million). But the flexibility, as absurd as it may sound, increases with it. Paul makes around $30 million a sophomore with the Warriors, not guaranteed, mind you.
Compared to Poole’s mega-contract ($123 million over four years), the Warriors have the option of getting rid of the guard before the upcoming season.
With the mega salaries of Curry ($51.9 million) and Thompson ($43.2 million) in the 2023/24 season, the Warriors are creating the opportunity to remain under the second luxury tax barrier in the future and thus avoiding the serious penalties of the new CBA collective agreement.
Also, the sale of Rollins and Baldwin Jr. makes room to sign Ring Chaser veterans on a minimum deal.
But one problem remains: the high susceptibility to injury. You would hardly find a part of Paul’s body that wasn’t damaged. Poole played all 82 regular season games for the Warriors last season, for comparison.
But this trade has an advantage for Paul in particular: With his role as guard number three behind the Splash Brothers, he can now divide his minutes and stay fresh over long stretches of the season.
In addition, there is the excellent management of the Warriors Staff, who have mastered it to perfection, having veteran stars like Draymond Green and the injury-plagued Thompson fit in the important moments. The warriors can also benefit enormously from this.
CP3 as the missing piece of the Warriors puzzle?
CP3 is arguably one of the best point guards of the current generation, his ability to stage teammates currently unmatched in the NBA.
So he can lead the offense, especially when Curry gets his break. The Point God loves to hold the reins, to control the game.
Paul gives the Warriors, who previously tailored their game to snipers Curry and Thompson, a new twist.
Poole doesn’t have the ability to stage his teammates as consistently as Paul. The differences with veteran star Draymond Green never seemed to be completely resolved.
Green punched the 24-year-old in the face at a preseason training camp and was suspended, but came back. “Without Draymond, we’re not a title contender,” Coach Kerr said at the time. Just to follow up after the season: “Whenever trust is lost, it makes the process so much more difficult – and there was a loss of trust.”
It was probably the Poole-Green posse, the younger one had already unfollowed the forward on all social media platforms. An indication of a lack of team character? After all, as much is known, Curry and Paul also get along off the field.
Did Steve Kerr want a traditional point guard?
Paul also had interests of his own in this trade, apart from the private connections. At 38, taking part in a franchise rebuild like the Wizards are doing would jeopardize his dream of an upcoming championship.
It’s different with the Warriors. According to insiders, Kerr always believed he had the best team when a traditional point guard played in his ranks, in part because of Shaun Livingston.
It doesn’t get any more traditional than Paul on the 1, he delivers reliably and can let the shooters run hot with his assists. Ex-warrior Richard Jefferson, who now appears as an ESPN analyst, also sees this advantage.
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Jefferson said: “Chris Paul has been in the league for 200 years and there have been postseason problems for 200 years. I think this is the first time he’s at a level where he’s purely a game manager. He’s not going to be asked to defend the best one or two players on the other side.”
So the deal could actually help all sides. The Wizards to have a commander (Jordan Poole) as a guide in rebuild mode. The Warriors to give Curry the opportunity to put a fifth ring on his finger without further ado.
And Chris Paul, who can finally become an NBA champion after 18 years in the league.
2023-06-26 13:16:48
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