Shortly after the opening of NBA free agency, the Golden State Warriors released Chris Paul, making him an unrestricted free agent as of Sunday. This move was anticipated, given that Paul had been the focus of trade rumors throughout the season.
Chris Haynes of TNT Sports initially broke the news, with NBA insider Marc Stein adding that the San Antonio Spurs are expected to show strong interest in Paul during free agency.
Paul’s $30 million contract for the 2024-25 season was set to become fully guaranteed if he remained on Golden State’s roster by June 28. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted that both Paul and the Warriors agreed to push the guarantee date to June 30, allowing the team more time to seek out potential trades, but nothing formulated.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors Updates
Paul was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards in the Bradley Beal deal before being flipped to the Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole. The Warriors were optimistic about Paul’s potential fit with the team, but with their status as such a high payroll team, keeping the transaction cycle alive by having a big expiring contract seemed to be a goal. His value just wasn’t nearly close to the cost-to-command value.
Golden State ended the season in 10th place in the Western Conference with a 46-36 record, ultimately being knocked out of playoff contention by the Sacramento Kings in the Play-In Tournament.
Paul was a fixture in Steve Kerr’s rotation, but his production declined. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.8 assists over 58 games, primarily coming off the bench, and shot 44.1 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point range.
One of the common issues the Warriors encountered with Paul was the contrast in play style between Curry and Paul. It’s advantageous to play uptempo with Curry and quickly get into the offense while leveraging his shooting gravity. With Paul, he’s best when slowing the game down and orchestrating out of pick-and-roll.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors Updates
With Klay Thompson set to depart from the Warriors, the team could work a sign-and-trade deal to command somewhat of a return while helping a franchise icon maximize earning potential. That will need to be a key mechanism for roster construction around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as the team navigates that situation.
Andrew Wiggins is another player to watch. The Warriors have been shopping him, even barring him from playing for Team Canada ahead of the Paris Olympics.
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