The Golden State Warriors acquired Chris Paul this summer in a deal that saw them ship out Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards.
It is rare to see a 24-year-old who just got a $100 million extension one summer earlier be traded by that same team for a 38-year-old oft-injured point guard, but that is precisely what ended up happening in this case.
Obviously the real reason Golden State moved on from Poole is a matter of public record at this point – and it wasn’t because they were so enamored with Paul.
Complicating matters even further is the fact that Paul has balked at the prospect of coming off the bench. He has started consistently throughout his lengthy NBA career and apparently has no interest in breaking that streak.
Not even if it helps his new team win, apparently.
This past week Marc J. Spears appeared on Vincent Goodwill’s “Good Word With Goodwill” podcast and offered some insight into what the Warriors’ plan for Paul currently is.
“I do expect [Paul] to start,” he said.
“I think it’s like five-minute spurts. I don’t know that they really want his minutes to be high. But I think they’re gonna try it… This isn’t an opinion, this is just what I’m hearing that he’s expected to start.”
It will be interesting to see how this little experiment works out for Golden State.
On paper, adding Paul doesn’t make a ton of sense. He doesn’t bring anything to the table that the Warriors actually need. Nor is he reliable enough to count on for any meaningful minutes during the playoffs.
It feels like Golden State wanted to dump Poole by any means necessary and this was the best deal available.
What sort of campaign will Paul ultimately put together with the Warriors in 2023? Time will tell.