For years, the Chris Paul Warriors have fought in the Western Conference. Now, he is joining them.
Golden State trades Jordan Paul, who turned 24 Monday, for 12-time All-Star Chris Paul, who turns 38 in May. Washington acquired Paul in a Bradley Bell trade earlier this week, but he wasn’t going to stay with the Tanks and Wizards. Although both Los Angeles teams were rumored to be interested in Paul, a different California team swooped in Thursday.
The move adds another veteran star to the aging, but still-strong core of Golden State, and exonerates the Warriors from the four-year extension Paul signed him last summer. Paul struggled after being punched by teammate Draymond Green in training camp, especially on defense, as he was routinely targeted by opposing teams. Now, the Warriors are giving up Paul’s entire contract in favor of CP3 for a year.
It’s amazing how much time Paul and the Warriors spend trying to outdo each other. Paul and the Clippers won first-round series against Golden State in 2014, then lost to the Warriors with the Houston Rockets in 2018 and 2019 — the first losses of that series came after Paul was injured with Los Angeles leading 3-2.
There is also a personal rivalry between Paul and Carrie. The Warriors star attended Paul’s basketball camp when he was younger and I worked with Paul The summer before his rookie year. Perhaps as a result, they went head-to-head against each other on the field. Like when he took down Curry Ball with a fancy move in 2015.
Or when Paul returned to his patented Curry in the 2018 playoffs.
It remains to be seen how Paul fits in with the Warriors. Is he playing alongside Curry? Will Klay Thompson move to the bench? Or did CP3 become CP-6th man?
For new General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., it’s a very bold first step. It opens the door for the Warriors to cut their massive paychecks after next season, when Paul and Thompson’s $74 million payroll ends. But it also opens up the opportunity for the Warriors to spend bigger, using where Paul’s big paycheck is — or to bring Paul back in a smaller deal.
In the end, it would be weird to see Chris Paul in a Warriors outfit. Like the Montagues and Capulets bleeding together or Wile E. Coyote embracing the Road Runner. Chris Paul and Steve Curry together. Hey, it worked when they were throwing at each other at the All-Star Game.