The Golden State Warriors were eliminated in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. They lost in part because of an inability to get rebounds and play defense on the Los Angeles Lakers’ bigger and stronger players. In their first move since losing in that fashion, the Golden State Warriors acquired 39-year-old 6-foot point guard Chris Paul.
At first glance, this move is just completely and utterly puzzling. Whether you ask a Warriors fan or a casual NBA fan, they will tell you the same thing. The move in itself is just bamboozling. How does this even make the Warriors better? If you ask many people who follow the NBA, they will tell you that this is a last, desperate move from a washed-up team trying to stay as a contender in a new era of the NBA.
When As you really take a look at this move and start seeing the layers behind it, you can begin to see that there are legitimate reasons why the Warriors decided to make this deal. Whenever you trade a 24-year-old for a 39-year-old, there is always a reason. I believe that new General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr, Head Coach Steve Kerr, and majority owner Joe Lacob had a reason for pulling the trigger on this deal. We will examine the reasons why the Warriors pulled the trigger on this deal and how the Warriors move forward into this extremely critical off-season for the continuance of their historic dynasty.
Why?
I think the why on this deal becomes fairly obvious after looking at the plagued the Warriors last year and into the playoffs. Turnovers, and lack of shot creation without Stephen Curry on the court. Jordan Poole was given the ball and told he had full freedom. The problem was, sometimes he was an out-of-control rocket. 35 footers out of nowhere, and tunnel vision in terms of seeking out shots. It was like he felt like he was the only scorer on the court and needed to take the burden of shooting everything he felt like shooting. Poole’s assist-to-turnover ratio was mediocre at best, averaging just 4.5 assists to a whopping 3.1 turnovers, and goes to show how careless he really was at times.
Paul’s arrival should fix this issue in the second unit. They now have an experienced point god who can run the offense, make the passes that need to be made, and a guy who will never be out of control. CP3 is a guy who is always in control of the situation, calm, and knows how to go to work in any circumstance.
Even at the advanced age of 37 last season, Paul averaged 8.9 assists to just 1.9 turnovers, showing that he immediately brings a bigger playmaking element to the Warriors’ second unit and someone who will execute Steve Kerr’s offense to perfection. While the move may not make sense in terms of the age of the 2 players, it makes a bit more sense when you see the statistics behind both players in their roles.
How?
All this begs the question of how Paul will fit in with the Warriors? Who will benefit the most from his arrival? I think that Chris Paul will immediately become a floor general for the Warriors, even when Steph Curry is on the floor with him. He will allow Curry and Klay Thompson to play off-ball even more, potentially even increasing their shooting percentage.
Andrew Wiggins will get the ball in his hands when wide-open from behind the 3-point line more often than ever, potentially even increasing his own 3-point output. Bench players such as Moses Moody and Gary Payton ll will also see the same effect. Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, and if resigned, Draymond Green, will see an increase in their wide-open, point-blank shots at the rim.
Paul could even fast-track the development of Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga in ways even Curry or Kerr couldn’t. He will give them open up so many opportunities for both offensively. Moody would really develop as a catch-and-shoot player from the 3-point line, and Kuminga as a lob threat. The development of Moody and Kuminga is so key for Golden State’s future and will go a long way in determining if their dynasty can stay alive.
Paul’s experience and wisdom could help the Warriors just as Andre Iguodala’s words helped them for the last 2 seasons. There are many pros for the Warriors in this move and it just could work out for them. This is clearly an effort to win one more championship before Curry’s seemingly endless prime years dry up.
What Next?
Paul’s arrival indicates that Golden State will be aggressive in chasing veteran players in free agency. He may even help recruit some of these veterans. I think the Warriors absolutely HAVE TO acquire wings and big men to be able to compete with the upper echelon of the NBA, such as the reigning defending champion Denver Nuggets, who they will have to likely defeat to get back to the Finals.
Re-signing Draymond Green has to be priority number 1 for the franchise. As Kerr said after the Lakers series, the Warriors aren’t contenders without Green on their team. While neither the team nor Green himself will likely never confirm this, moving Poole probably increases Green’s will to return to the team after the whole incident before the season even started. I think Green will return to the Warriors on a 3-year deal to match Curry’s contract length and will be around the 20-24 million dollars a year range.
However, Golden State will not even have the taxpayer Mid-level Exception at their disposal, meaning everyone they sign will have to be using the around 2.6 million dollar veteran’s minimum. Here’s a list of potential veteran signings the Warriors could make to make a championship run. All these players possess something of use to a championship team. Size, shooting, defense, experience, rebounding, and grit.
(Note- Points Per Game will be shortened to PPG, Rebounds Per Game to RPG, and Assists Per Game to APG.)
Wings
Torrey Craig
2022 Stats – 7.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.5 APG on 45.6% from the floor and 39.5% from 3.
Jae Crowder
2022 Stats – 6.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG on 47.9% from the floor and 43.6% from 3.
Danny Green
2021 Stats – 5.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1 APG on 39.4% from the floor and 38% from 3.
Joe Ingles
2022 Stats – 6.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 3.3 APG on 43.5% from the floor and 40.9% from 3.
Derrick Jones Jr.
2022 Stats – 5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 0.5 APG on 50% from the floor and 33.8% from 3.
Bigs
Dwight Howard
2021 Stats – 6.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 0.6 APG on 61.2% from the floor.
Dario Saric
2022 Stats – 6.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.3 APG on 45.8% from the floor and 39.1% from 3.
Kevin Love
2022 Stats – 8.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.9 APG on 38.9% from the floor and 33.4% from 3.
Alex Len
2021 Stats – 6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG on 53.4% from the floor.
DeMarcus Cousins
2021 Stats – 8.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.7 APG on 45.6% from the floor and 32.4% from 3.
Cody Zeller
2022 Stats – 6.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 0.7 APG on 62.7% from the floor.
