The Washington Wizards are trading Chris Paul for Jordan Poole and a package of draft picks to the Golden State Warriors, CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter confirmed Thursday. Paul never really qualified for Washington and was only involved as a salaryman in Bradley Beal’s blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns over the weekend. With the Wizards on the verge of rebuilding, they had no reason to keep Paul and now the Warriors have given them a powerful package to part with their recently acquired legend.
In Poole, the Wizards are taking a chance on a player who received a four-year, $140 million contract extension from the Warriors less than a year ago. Last year, which began with teammate Draymond Green beating Poole in training camp, was a disappointment from that perspective.
Poole averaged 20.4 points per game, a new career high, but his defense remained problematic and he fell to just 10.3 points per game in the postseason. That $140 million extension made sense when the Warriors believed Poole was on his way to stardom, but now with the new CBA looming and the NBA’s most expensive teams being punished for their spending, the Warriors had to find a way find saving money in the long run. Paul has only one year left on his contract, so he fits the bill perfectly.
Paul was one of the Golden State’s toughest rivals during the Stephen Curry era. His Clippers defeated the Warriors in the 2014 playoffs, but after Golden State hired Steve Kerr as coach, the Warriors managed to beat Paul’s Rockets in the 2018 and 2019 playoffs. Paul almost got another shot at the Warriors in 2022, but his Suns were upset by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs and the Warriors won the championship.
Now Paul will join the Warriors trying to win his first ring and they are trying to win their fifth ring of this era. It’s an unlikely partnership, to say the least, and for the first time in his career, Paul is now likely to come off the bench. But the Warriors give him a real shot at winning a title, and moving to Golden State allows him to stay on the West Coast, where his family is and where he reportedly preferred to stay. As surprising as this deal looks on paper, it appeared to be a necessity for all involved.