Grade the Trade: Golden State Warriors turn worst contract into star in new proposal

The Golden State Warriors are an expensive team. Maintaining a contender for more than a couple of seasons is a costly task in the NBA, and all the more so as subsequent CBAs (Collective Bargaining Agreements) ratchet up the penalties for having an expensive team.

Stephen Curry is among the most expensive contracts in the league, and rightfully so; he’s still a top five player league wide, and as recently as June 2022 led his team to a championship. But when you add in contracts north of $20 million for four other players, the money climbs higher and higher.

Do the Golden State Warriors move a player to save money?

The idea of moving a contract simply to save money is one that Joe Lacob would outwardly balk at, although finances certainly had something to do with trading Jordan Poole. If the Warriors were going to take action with the costly salaries on their books, it would probably be to use one of those players as matching salary to bring in another player.

That concept is something that Bleacher Report recently latched onto, building a trade for every team to move off of their “worst” contract. Whether or not you agree with it, they tabbed Chris Paul as the most offensive deal on the books. Let’s evaluate the trade that they build and whether it’s a good fit for the Warriors.