Golden State Warriors (GSW) are set to trade 24-year-old guard Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards in return for 19-time All-Star Chris Paul. Poole, who was the 28th pick in the first round of the NBA draft in 2019, had a horrid run in the postseason this time around as the Warriors crashed out to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Poole struggled for adequate game time and averaged merely 10.3 points per game (ppg) in the playoffs. That is despite him recording a career-high 20.4 ppg along with 4.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds across 82 games in the regular season.
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Poole even played a pivotal role in steadying the Warriors’ ship when franchise legend Stephen Curry was sidelined due to an injury earlier this year. However, Poole’s issues in the postseason, coupled with a pre-season rift with veteran centre Draymond Green, seems to have culminated in his imminent departure from the Warriors.
What does the draft package comprise?
In addition to that, the Steve Kerr-coached team are also letting go of their 2022 draft second-round pick Ryan Rollins. Further, the Warriors are conceding the 2030 first-round draft pick (protected) and the second-round pick in 2027 in the overall trade package to secure Paul.
The 38-year-old Paul will be into his 19th season in the NBA in the coming campaign. He came within touching distance of winning his first NBA ring with the Phoenix Suns in the 2020-21 season. However, the Suns blew away a 2-0 lead to the Milwaukee Bucks in the finals and lost the series 4-2. Paul will have to arguably don a bench role in the presence of franchise stalwarts like Curry and Klay Thompson, who are definite starters when fit.
However, the Warriors seem to be making a statement with this move that they are looking to win now and make the most of Curry’s peak years rather than taking a step back and rebuilding for the future already.
