Report: Wizards trade Chris Paul to Warriors for Jordan Poole

The NBA offseason has been heating up with some major trades this week, with Bradley Beal heading to the Suns and Wednesday’s three-team blockbuster.

And now we have another one.

As Shams Charania reported, the Warriors are sending Jordan Poole, a protected 2030 first-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick to the Wizards for Chris Paul. Charania added shortly after that the Warriors are also trading Ryan Rollins to Washington as part of the deal.

Paul was never going to suit up and play for the Wizards, but this deal does come as a bit of a surprise. The Warriors clearly aren’t done investing with their core and pushing for ways to change and improve. Now, they have one of the best floor generals in league history to pair with Steph Curry and get creative with. And Paul, with his career winding down, has another chance to pursue a championship.

A healthy CP3 can still have a major impact. You can never overlook his masterful playmaking and offensive execution. Even in more of a down year last season, as his creation ability has dropped somewhat, he averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists a night with a 37.5 percent three-point stroke. At this stage of his career, though, as has been the case for a while, the concern is just about how healthy he can stay through a full season and playoff run at 38 years old.

Admittedly, Poole isn’t always the most efficient scorer or best decision maker. His contract earning him $128 million over the next four years is rather steep, too. But Poole’s taken off over the last two seasons in a bigger role, showcasing his high-volume three-point shooting, pull-up game, and ability to get to the rim and add some complementary passing. Even though his shooting percentages cooled off a bit from his career year in 2021-22, he still averaged career-highs of 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game last season with a 57.3 true shooting percentage.

He’s a good player. And the Wizards getting such a helpful offensive piece, along with some draft capital, in exchange for Beal after he was able to remove all of their bargaining power with his no-trade clause isn’t a bad pivot. Yes, we all know that they should have really traded Beal years ago to maximize their return, but this is a solid result for where they’re at right now.

It’s been a fun week of trades. Maybe the Sixers will enter the mix and make a move soon, too...