Final details of huge 2023 trade results as massive disaster for Warriors

The Golden State Warriors decision to waive Chris Paul on Sunday not only put a full stop on the veteran point guard's time with the franchise, but also the controversial trade that saw him land in the Bay just over a year ago.

In a move that's been rigorously debated ever since, the Warriors sent Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins, a top 20 protected 2030 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick, and cash in exchange for Paul who had been traded by the Phoenix Suns just a week earlier.

The departure of Chris Paul means the Golden State Warriors trade for the 12x All-Star last year has resulted as an unmitigated disaster

Over the course of this past season, it looked increasingly likely that the Warriors were the real winners. Paul was helpful for the majority of his 57 games -- not $30 million helpful -- but a productive NBA player who helped alleviate the issue of the non-Stephen Curry minutes.

In Washington, Poole struggled mightily with the extra attention placed upon him by opposing defenses. He started to find his feet in a sixth man role late in the season, but the remainder of his contract is still seen as one of the worst in the league.

Now, Golden State's inability to garner anything for Paul has resulted this as a major disaster. It's now simply a salary dump of Poole's contract at a time where it didn't need to be. The young guard was still seen as a talent with All-Star potential, and perhaps that could be realized away from Draymond Green and at a team with greater playing opportunity.

The Warriors could have and should have got something better than Paul -- why didn't they pursue Kristaps Porzingis instead? Of course it's easy to say in hindsight, but that doesn't change the fact that it's nothing short of disappointing.

While acquiring Paul was questionable in the first place, the real error of judgement came when they decided to keep him at February's mid-season deadline. At that point his contract could have been an expiring one for a rival team, making him far more easier to trade than over the past few days.

Even in the final hours, the Warriors could have got a career 20-point per game scorer and 2x All-Star in Zach LaVine. Instead, they pass on that and decide to say goodbye to Paul for nothing but access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to show for it.

In a vacuum, choosing not to pay $30 million next season is the right decision. Yet the fact Golden State put themselves in this position over the past 24-48 hours is a diabolical decision that stems back to the initial trade.

What makes matters worse is that they're about to lose franchise legend Klay Thompson, with a second-year Brandin Podziemski the only current solution as the new starting shooting guard. They could have had LaVine...heck who knows what would have happened if they'd retained Poole as unlikely as it would have been -- Golden State had a 36-16 record in 52 games when Curry and Poole started in the back court.

Now the Warriors not only need to find more perimeter threats to replace one of the greatest shooters in the history of basketball, but also a suitable back up point guard capable of carrying the non-Curry minutes.