After giving themselves an extra 48 hours to decide on the future of Chris Paul, the Golden State Warriors have officially chosen to waive the veteran point guard's $30 million non-guaranteed contract.
First reported by Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the decision makes Paul an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his decorated 19-year career.
The Golden State Warriors are headed for a complete financial reset after waiving Chris Paul and his $30 million non-guaranteed deal
The Warriors had explored trade deals involving Paul's contract, most notably attempting to land 9x All-Star Paul George in a plan that fell over on Saturday. Instead, the Warriors lose the salary spot and appear headed for a total financial reset after years of being at the top of the league in roster spending.
It's an infuriating and frustrating decision for a number of fans, with the decision to move on from Jordan Poole 12 months ago now essentially a salary dump. Paul could have been used as an expiring contract at February's mid-season deadline, but Golden State failed to orchestrate an upgrade that could have placed them in a far better position than the gloomy state that's hanging over the franchise right now.
The Warriors are preparing for franchise legend Klay Thompson to depart in free agency or via sign-and-trade. While their decision to waive Paul does theoretically open up more room to be able to re-sign the veteran sharpshooter, it's become increasingly obvious that the relationship may be too far decimated to come back from.
Paul was solid for the Warriors in his only season, but the whole scenario should still be viewed as a failure with today's decision coming after the franchise finished 10th in the Western Conference this season. The 39-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 26.4 minutes across 58 games.
The 12x All-Star is expected to have a number of suitors in free agency, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting that the San Antonio Spurs have strong interest in adding Paul alongside Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.