One of the more head-scratching trades made this summer in the NBA was the trade where the Golden State Warriors gave up Jordan Poole for veteran point guard Chris Paul.
Although Poole’s production was down this past season, he was one of their best young players, while Paul is 38 years of age and clearly in decline.
People seem mixed on whether that move will help a Warriors team that was inconsistent all season long and failed to successfully defend their NBA championship.
Head coach Steve Kerr said he used to hate Paul because of the battles his team had with him, but now he loves him, according to SportsCenter.
"We've all hated him because we were competing, and he was so good. And now that's our guy, and we love him."
Steve Kerr on "joking" with Chris Paul and their relationship. pic.twitter.com/SNTsJyaMWE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 2, 2023
Paul has bounced around the league in recent years, and as a member of the Houston Rockets he played against Kerr’s Warriors in the 2018 and 2019 playoffs.
In 2018, the Rockets had the NBA’s best record with 65 wins, and they ended up taking a 3-2 series lead over the defending champion Warriors.
But just when it looked like they were about to reach the NBA Finals, Paul suffered a hamstring injury near the end of Game 5, forcing him to miss the next two contests, and without him, they fell to Stephen Curry and company.
Those who question why Golden State went out and got him point out the fact that the team’s core of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green is aging and needs younger players around it to take the pressure off.
Paul used to be able to score at least 30 points in any given game, but over the last year or two, his scoring numbers have plummeted, and he played particularly poorly in the 2023 playoffs.
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