Why Chris Paul trade may be biggest mistake in Golden State Warriors’ history

It’s been over a month since the Golden State Warriors decided to trade for future hall of famer Chris Paul. While there were some benefits to the trade if you squint your eyes, tilt your head, and completely forget about basketball, this still seems like a disaster.

For those still unfamiliar, the Warriors traded Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr, Ryan Rollins, and a handful of picks for Chris Paul and Trayce Jackson-Davis. A measly return for a player who was a key part of a championship run barely over a year ago and two players fresh off their rookie seasons.

What’s worse is they completely failed to plug the still prominent holes in the rotation so far during free agency.

This trade did nothing to improve the problems with the Golden State Warriors’ roster

After a season where they lost partially due to being too small, they signed Corey Joseph and Dario Saric. How could this go wrong? Saric is now the tallest player on the roster but is only 6’10”, followed by Kevon Looney at 6’9″. The Warriors’ lack of size caused significant issues when facing the mega roster put together by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second-round of the postseason

Another problem they faced all season was defense, particularly off the bench. At this point in his career, Paul is only marginally better than Poole on that end of the floor, leaving that problem still very much intact.

The only benefit brought by the presence of Paul to this roster is an increased chance that Jonathan Kuminga will break out. Kuminga growing into his potential is the key to the Warriors staying relevant in a post-Curry era that is quickly approaching.