Golden State Warriors hoping they're about to yield full value from offseason trade

While the Golden State Warriors suffered a 125-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, their bigger concern comes in the form of an ankle issue to franchise superstar Stephen Curry.

The two-time MVP hobbled off the floor after hurting his ankle on a drive with less than four minutes left in the final period. Confirmation of the severity of Curry's injury is still to come, but according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater, 'the Warriors are talking like they expect their leader to miss some time.'

The Golden State Warriors will be hoping they're about to reap the full benefits of their offseason decision to trade for Chris Paul

Losing Curry for any period of time will be a major loss for a team still fighting for a playoff spot, with the 35-year-old having averaged 26.9 points on nearly 41% three-point shooting in 59 games this season.

Curry may be irreplaceable, but at least the team can take solace in knowing they have another future Hall-of-Fame point-guard at their disposal. When Golden State traded for 12-time All-Star Chris Paul last June, there was a thought that his services may have been a little redundant. However, there was also a quick notion that the 'Point God' would provide a luxury replacement whenever Curry would inevitably miss time.

While Curry has missed just three of the team's 62 games this season, history would suggest an injury issue was always going to pop up -- He hasn't played more than 70 games in a season since 2016-17.

Just six games after returning from a 21-game absence of his own, Paul will now take on increased responsibility that may come to make or break Golden State's season. The 38-year-old has largely thrived as a reserve for the first time in his career, but you know he's ready to remind everyone of his starting-level quality.

The Warriors would already consider themselves as the winners from the Paul trade, yet they'll be hoping the full value will now be felt in Curry's absence. Golden State had a 14-12 record in games without Curry last season, largely stemming from more offensive production from Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole.

They may have managed to keep their head above water last season, but the Warriors need more than that this time around. They need to thrive, to still find a way to conjure 14-15 wins over their last 20 games.

Paul might be the key piece in making that happen. If trading for the long-time rival didn't feel strange enough during the offseason, Warrior fans can now picture that their team's season may hinge on Christopher Emmanuel Paul. How times change.