Los Angeles Clippers veteran Chris Paul has announced that he will be retiring after this NBA season, and his announcement can only make the Golden State Warriors look back to their trade for him with some measure of regret.
Following the 2022-23 season that saw the Warriors struggle with the fallout from Draymond Green's punch on Jordan Poole, Golden State decided to move on from the young guard by dealing him to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Paul.
Warriors cannot help but regret Chris Paul trade
It was a sad end to Poole's tenure with the Warriors since he was such a key part of the team's championship in 2021-22, while also presenting as a key part of the franchise's future beyond Stephen Curry. That is simply not how things panned out, and the baggage between he and Green was simply too heavy and clearly weighed the team down.
They decided to bring in Paul in the hope that the veteran could be a solid contributor for the team, but it seemed like he never really meshed all that well in Golden State. In his lone season with the team, the veteran point guard averaged 28 minutes per game and put up just under nine points while shooting 44% from the field.
That season with the Warriors caused the team to try to correct course in the offseason after they lost in the play-in tournament. It wasn't a huge surprise that the team decided to move on from both Paul and Klay Thompson following that season as they attempted to retool and take advantage of the rest of Curry's career.
Ironically, the Warriors probably don't regret giving up Poole all that much as he's failed to live up to his potential since departing the franchise. The bigger regret may be letting go of Ryan Rollins who is now on the Milwaukee Bucks and who torched the Dubs earlier this season in a surprise win without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The trade didn't really work out all that great for anyone and really just proves as a reminder of Poole's messy departure from the Warriors. Paul has certainly had a legendary career even though he is currently having a very rough final season with the Clippers, but the Warriors cannot help but look back at that trade with some measure of regret because it's a reminder of some dark moments that they would probably like to forget.