Surprisingly Breaking: Warrior’s Chris Paul to be traded to Wizards for Jordan Poole
Surprisingly Breaking: Warrior’s Chris Paul to be traded to Wizards for Jordan Poole.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, a trade was completed between the Wizards and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday afternoon. Washington dealt Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Paul a few days before the transaction.
Fischer and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski report that the Wizards will acquire Jordan Poole, a second-round selection in 2027, and a first-round protected pick in 2030.
In his fourth year in the NBA after being selected by the Warriors with the No. 28 choice in the 2019 NBA Draft, Poole averaged a career-high 20.4 points and 4.5 assists last season.
The Warriors and him just extended his deal by four years and $128 million last fall, and new GM Mike Dunleavy indicated last week that the team anticipated “on having him for four more years at least.” Obviously, that way of thinking didn’t last.
On Sunday, the Rockets traded Paul to the Wizards for Landry Shamet and several future second-round selections.
That’s what prompted the transaction that sent Beal to Phoenix, where he’ll join forces with the likes of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Ayton in an effort to win a championship as soon as possible.
On Thursday, the final details of the deal were announced, including a flurry of picks and swaps.
The Wizards included Paul in that trade, but they had no plans to keep him on the team. The four-year, $120 million contract Paul signed with the Suns two years ago still has two years to go.
It was also believed that the Los Angeles Clippers were interested in bringing Paul back, but negotiations fell through.
Now in San Francisco, Paul will play with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, a trio that has made it to the NBA Finals six times in the past nine years.
Paul has never personally won a championship, and last season he averaged a career-low 13.9 points and 8.9 assists. With the conclusion of his career drawing near, this team has a chance to give the future Hall of Famer one last shot at a championship.
