Golden State Warriors Trade for Chris Paul, Ship Jordan Poole to Wizards

Golden State Warriors Trade for Chris Paul, Ship Jordan Poole to Wizards

Joel Reyes
June 22, 2023 at 11:05 PM
  • The Golden State Warriors are finalizing a trade to acquire Chris Paul from the Wizards
  • The Warriors would send Jordan Poole to Washington in the blockbuster deal
  • The Warriors wanted to shore up their lineup after a disappointing playoff loss to the Lakers

The Golden State Warriors did not wait for the NBA Draft to make a major move.

They are finalizing a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards that would send Chris Paul to the Bay Area.

The Warriors would move guard Jordan Poole to the Wizards in the proposed trade.

Chris Paul, Jordan Poole, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson
Jordan Poole handles the ball against Chris Paul during the second half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on October 25, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. Image: Christian Petersen
Source: Getty Images

The deal would also see Ryan Rollins move to Washington along with draft compensation.

The Wizards will get Golden State’s 2027 second-round pick and a protected 2030 first-round pick in the trade, per ESPN.

There is a sense of urgency from the Warriors, who fell short in their bid to win the championship last season.

Why was Poole let go?

They lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals, with some blaming Poole for that early playoff exit.

Poole struggled during the Warriors’ run last postseason, averaging just 10.3 points per contest and shooting 34% from the field and 25.4% from beyond the arc overall, per CBS Sports.

His season was overshadowed, however, by Draymond Green punching him during the Warriors’ preseason practice, an incident that clearly affected Golden State’s chemistry.

Poole gets a fresh start in Washington, which is in the middle of a complete roster overhaul.

The Wizards have just traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis to start a painful rebuild.

Journeyman Paul moves again

One guy who won’t be part of that rebuild is Chris Paul. He resumes his quest for that first-ever NBA championship with a Warriors team that has won four titles in the past nine seasons.

The veteran point guard averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists for Phoenix last season across 59 games.

He is likely moving to the bench to play a reserve role for the Warriors in his 19th NBA season.

Kuzma becomes a free agent

Sports Brief previously reported on Kyle Kuzma becoming a free agent this offseason.

He reportedly declined his $13 million player option with Washington for the 2023-24 campaign.

Kuzma averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Wizards last season.

Authors
Joel Reyes photo
Joel Reyes
Joel Reyes is a sports editor at Sportsbrief.com with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines. He has eight years of work experience in sports writing.