There hasn’t exactly been love lost between Chris Paul and the Warriors over the years.
The future Hall of Fame point guard has run into the Golden State buzz saw, the one that has won four championships over the last decade, far too often in the Western Conference. It’s led to intense playoff battles that have garnered respect between Paul-led teams and the Warriors, but certainly not any longstanding relationships between the two parties.
That all changed earlier this week, when Paul was acquired by the Warriors in a trade that sent guard Jordan Poole to the Wizards. Paul had just been traded to Washington as part of the package that sent Bradley Beal to Phoenix.
Now Paul will join forces with the team that he’s battled with so often over the last 10 years.
“We’re going to be a lot different,” coach Steve Kerr told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic when discussing the trade this week. “The last thing I’m gonna do is say anything about a team that just won a championship a year ago and then fought through a difficult season. Made a helluva run at the end of this year. I’ve loved this group that we’ve had the last couple years.
“But the biggest point is that we sensed we needed a shift. Didn’t mean we needed a overhaul, but we needed a shift of some sort. I think everybody in the organization sensed that. And it feels like we’ve made a pretty significant shift without giving up our identity and our sense of who we are as a team. I think all in all, it’s a very positive shift.”
The 38-year-old Paul still has plenty left in the tank, as exhibited by his 13.9 points and 8.9 assists per game that he averaged last season. He also brings an element of toughness to the roster, one that could add to the intangible that longtime Warrior Draymond Green brings to the roster, albeit at a different position. However, after Green opted out of his player option for next season, his return to Golden State is no certainty, so Paul at least provides insurance in that department in the event that Green ends up elsewhere.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see the basketball fit of Paul, who has conventionally thrived in a slower-paced half-court pick-and-roll offense. Now he will enter a fast-paced motion offense in the twilight of his career.
Will he adapt his game to fit the Warriors’ strengths? Kerr and the front office certainly hope so as they enter the future Hall of Famer into the fold next season.
