Chris Paul is headed to San Francisco.
The Wizards struck a deal to send the veteran point guard to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday afternoon, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer. The trade came just days after Washington acquired Paul in a deal that sent Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns.
Sounds like Jordan Poole will be heading to Washington in a deal that will bring Chris Paul to the four-time champion Golden State Warriors.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 22, 2023
In exchange, according to Fischer and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Wizards will receive Jordan Poole, a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 2030 protected first-round draft pick.
Poole averaged a career-high 20.4 points and 4.5 assists last season, his fourth in the league after the Warriors took him with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He just reached a four-year, $128 million contract extension with the Warriors last fall, and new general manager Mike Dunleavy said last week that they planned “on having him for four more years at least.” That mindset clearly didn’t last long.
Paul was sent to the Wizards on Sunday along with Landry Shamet and a number of picks. That sent Beal to Phoenix, where he’ll now team up with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton in a move that’s clearly designed to win a title immediately. That trade was finalized on Thursday, and a wild number of picks and pick swaps were revealed.
Beal, Isaiah Todd and Jordan Goodwin to the Suns for Chris Paul and Landry Shamet. Suns are sending cash too, per sources.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 22, 2023
Though Paul was part of that deal, the Wizards never intended to keep him around. Paul, 38, has two years left on his four-year, $120 million deal he first signed with the Suns. The Los Angeles Clippers were reportedly interested in a reunion with Paul, too, though that deal never came together.
Paul will now team up with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in San Francisco and join a group that has reached the NBA Finals six times in the past nine seasons. Paul, who averaged a career-low 13.9 points and 8.9 assists last season, has never won a championship himself. With the end of his career in sight, this could be the group that finally gets the future Hall of Famer a ring before retirement.
