New Warriors guard Chris Paul candidly offered his perspective on teaming up with his longtime rivals entering his 19th season on the heels of the shocking deal that sent him to Golden State.
Paul’s whirlwind week began on Sunday when he was dealt from the Suns to the Wizards in a deal for star Bradley Beal. On Thursday, Washington traded Paul for Jordan Poole in a move that will team the 12-time All-Star up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, (potentially) Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr.
Just hours later, Paul, still in the midst of processing the news, told Lindsay Czarniak of NBC Sports he was “excited” to continue his storied career with the Warriors. He then admitted it was “crazy” how the full circle moment came together, considering he’s been battling Kerr’s Warriors since 2014.
“It’s crazy how life comes full circle, you know? For the last 10 years, maybe longer than that, I’ve been competing against them,” Paul said. “I’m all about winning so, whatever’s going to give me an opportunity to win, I’m all for it.”
NBA star Chris Paul told me it was a “full circle” moment finding out he was traded to the Golden State Warriors. We sat down for a previously scheduled podcast conversation shortly after the news broke. Appreciate his honesty still processing the news @CP3 #chrispaul #nba pic.twitter.com/gu5m8kyTjU
— Lindsay Czarniak (@lindsayczarniak) June 23, 2023
Czarniak also asked Paul what teaming with his now-former foes made him think about, to which he replied “everything.” He also shared that his 14-year-old son was, again, the person who broke the big news.
Paul continued, “I’m excited, I’m grateful to get an opportunity to play with that core group of players in Steph, Klay, Draymond, [Kevon] Looney, [Andrew Wiggins], all them, play for Steve. … It just happened, so I’m still processing it all so I definitely want to get on the phone and talk to those guys and whatnot and see what’s what.”
While Paul’s tune sounded much better than his far-less-enthusiastic viral response to the trade Thursday afternoon, only time will tell how the veteran guard gels with his new team.
Should the Warriors keep their core intact, Paul’s shot at his elusive first NBA title, could, ironically, be the best its ever been on the team that denied him several times in the past. For his career, Paul is 22–15 in the regular season and 9–9 in the playoffs against the Warriors since 2009, Curry’s rookie season.
