The Golden State Warriors addition of Chris Paul has been met with equal parts excitement and skepticism. The veteran guard has a reputation for elevating the players around him, yet he’s never comprised a bench role. There’s also the question of whether Paul will mesh with his new teammates, given their contentious past.
As such, there are some who believe Paul could find himself on the trade block during the upcoming season as Golden State continues looking for ways to improve their roster. According to Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, one way the Warriors could improve their roster is by flipping Paul for All-Star forward Pascal Siakam.
Buy Warriors TicketsThe Toronto Raptors are walking a fine line between rebuilding and contention at the moment. As such, they may view Paul’s playmaking and leadership ability as the ideal fit to elevate their younger players while keeping the franchise relevant as they re-tool. For Golden State, Siakam would certainly propel the roster deeper into the championship discussion.
The full trade proposal looks like this:
Proposed trade sees Warriors flip Chris Paul for 2-Time All-Star: The trade proposal
Zach Buckley’s trade proposal looks like this:
Warriors receive: Pascal Siakam and Christian Koloko
Toronto Raptors receive: Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and a 2026 first-round pick
The trade is certainly a high price for the Warriors to pay, yet the return would be worthwhile if Siakam could help lead the team to another sustained period of success.
Proposed trade sees Warriors flip Chris Paul for 2-Time All-Star: The reasoning
Here is Zach Buckley’s reasoning for the Warriors to make this proposed trade.
“Golden State should be laser-focused on extending its championship window for as long as Stephen Curry remains in his prime, and it’s hard to argue this trade wouldn’t get the Warriors closer to contending next season,” Buckley wrote. “…The incoming package, on the other hand, features a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA honoree in Siakam, who would immediately check off a ton of boxes.
The 29-year-old could be Curry’s scoring co-star, a secondary creator, a pick-and-roll screener, a rebounder, a versatile defender, and a transition attacker. Koloko would be a dart throw, but he could carve out a small niche as an athletic rim-runner.”
Proposed trade sees Warriors flip Chris Paul for 2-Time All-Star: Should the Warriors make the trade?
Pascal Siakam has been highly regarded among NBA fans for multiple years. The versatile forward can play high-level defense and score across all three levels. Last season, Nick Nurse began to use Siakam as a play-initiator, too.
Golden State would surely find multiple ways to utilize Siakam’s diverse skillset, and he would slot straight into their starting rotation. Losing Paul would be a tough blow, considering the type of leadership, scoring, and playmaking he will bring to the Warriors. However, Cory Joesph‘s presence on the roster would certainly soften that loss.
Adding a young, highly-talented forward to the Warriors rotation would certainly keep their roster balanced and provide them with additional opportunities to make use of the off-ball movement Steph Curry and Klay Thompson provide.
If this hypothetical trade materialized, the Warriors would likely give it some serious consideration.
