It's official: Chris Paul is a Warrior.
The Warriors completed their blockbuster trade with the Wizards on Thursday, sending Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins and two future draft picks -- a 2027 second-rounder and a 2030 first-rounder (top 20 protected) -- to Washington in exchange for the 38-year-old guard.
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The trade was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on June 22.
Paul was sent to the Wizards in the Phoenix Suns' trade for star guard Bradley Beal in June. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported several days before the Warriors-Wizards trade was first reported that Washington would wait and see if it could "flip him to a third team," and named Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers as potential landing spots.
Paul has two seasons left on his contract and is owed $30.8 million next season. That money became guaranteed on June 28. Paul’s non-guaranteed $30 million on the books for the 2024-25 season becomes guaranteed next June.
Paul averaged 13.9 points, 8.9 assists and 32 minutes played in 59 games last season, and helped the Suns beat the Clippers in five games in a first-round playoff series. He suffered a groin injury during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, though, and had to watch from the sidelines as the Suns lost in six games to the eventual league champions.
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Poole, 24, is just over one year removed from his breakout 2021-22 campaign. He helped the Warriors win their fourth NBA championship in eight years, and was rewarded with a four-year contract extension worth $128 million in October.
However, a preseason altercation with veteran teammate Draymond Green seemingly derailed his fourth NBA season. Poole struggled to find a rhythm throughout the year and shot just 34.1 percent from the field in the playoffs.
By trading away Poole, Baldwin and Rollins for Paul, the Warriors have made their top priority crystal clear: This team is ready to win now. The Warriors' two-timeline plan has been replaced by a desire to chase championships with their dynastic core.
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