The NBA world was shocked last week when the Warriors dealt Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Paul on draft day.
But Golden State superstar Steph Curry knows surprises are all part of the game. Still, saying goodbye to a young player with so much promise like Poole can be hard, even when a talented veteran like Paul is on the other side of the trade.
"The business is crazy," Curry recently told The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "We all know that. If you asked us six months ago if this was something that could happen, the answer probably would’ve been no just based on where we were. Then you get to the summer and are trying to find ways to get better and put yourself in position to chase another championship.
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"Every team that CP has been on gets better. That’s the most consistent thing on him and who he is and what he brings to the team. Everybody’s going to talk about the age. It’s on us to put that all together and figure out how all the pieces work."
It appears as if both Curry and Paul will have no problem focusing on the future as longtime adversaries-turned-teammates. But losing Poole, at one time viewed by the Warriors organization as Curry's heir apparent, is a more difficult pill to swallow.
"You hate losing JP," Curry told Slater. "I know it’s not all the way official yet. So I don’t want to talk too much before it is. But that’s the tough part of the business, seeing a young guy come into his own [and then get traded]. It’s a great opportunity for him. It’s just you get to know someone like that, build a friendship, build a bond."
The Warriors' move for Paul was multifaceted, with Poole's exorbitant salary set to kick in next season playing a large role in the decision. But the trade also was motivated by a win-now mindset, and Golden State moved away from its future by sending Poole and, reportedly, 2022 draft picks Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, to Washington.
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Paul is in win-now mode, too, telling ESPN's Malika Andrews on Monday he's looking forward to playing alongside the Warriors' championship core as he hunts for the first ring of his 18-year career.
"We’ve known each other for a very, very long time, man," Paul told Andrews of Curry. "So I’m excited to get a chance to play alongside him, Klay [Thompson], [Andrew Wiggins], Draymond [Green], all of them. They’ve got an unbelievable organization. That team is just -- they’ve been playing together for a while, and they know what they’re doing."
In exchanging a 24-year-old guard for one who just turned 38, Curry understands how it might look from the outside. But winning another NBA title is at the forefront of his mind, and he believes Paul gives them a good chance.
"It’s tough to see [Poole] go," Curry told Slater. "But, you know, we’re trying to win next year and CP can help us do that."