Trading away a 24-year-old for a 38-year-old shows what an interesting time Golden State is enduring and the new direction the franchise is taking.
Many in the NBA world were very surprised to learn of a trade which ultimately sent Chris Paul to Golden State and Jordan Poole to Washington, plus future picks.
Just hours after news of the trade was circulated, the storied franchise then selected Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Kerr isn’t allowed to address the Paul trade directly yet until its official on July 6, but the head coach explained how the team needed a new direction.
“We’re going to be a lot different,” Kerr told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “The last thing I’m going to 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 an 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.”
Separating Draymond Green and Poole seemed like a no-brainer and without Poole on the books, it frees up around $100 million of future salary commitments.
The Warriors already had the highest luxury tax in the league last season so if they are looking to avoid the second payroll apron by next summer, offloading an underperforming Poole seemed like a smart move.
Adding another veteran to the roster could either help or harm a team that has historically had a lot of success with a veteran core.
Obviously, 12-time All-Star Paul isn’t in peak physical condition and seems to have suffered injuries in the postseason forever.
But the Dubs can get out of “his non-guaranteed $30 million in 2024-25 or flip that contract for another high-salary player,” Kawakami explains.
Of course, there is now way this trade would have gone through without the blessing of Steph Curry, so he clearly thinks that adding Paul into mix is a winning formula.
READ MORE: Chris Paul Reacts to Being Traded to the Warriors