Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has explained the reason behind the decision to trade for Chris Paul.
On Friday, it was announced that Paul would be traded to the Warriors following an agreement with the Washington Wizards. The Wizards had acquired the 38-year-old following a trade with the Phoenix Suns in a deal for Bradley Beal.
Beal will form a new superstar trio featuring Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with the Suns. In return, Phoenix traded Paul, Landry Shamet and several draft picks to the Wizards.
Now Paul, who is about to enter his 19th year in the NBA, is set to return to California where he previously spent six years with the LA Clippers, this time, though, in San Francisco. There were reports that Paul could return to Los Angeles either with the Clippers or with LeBron James at the Lakers.
Instead, Paul will be working with four-time NBA champion coach Kerr at Golden State. And now the Warriors head coach has revealed the reasons behind the decide to make the trade.
Kerr has admitted that the Warriors are going through a transition, and will need to “shift” in their preparations for next season.
"We're going to be a lot different,” Kerr told The Athletic . “The last thing I'm going to do is say anything about a team that just won a championship a year ago and then fought through a difficult season.
“Made a helluva run at the end of this year. I've loved this group that we've had the last couple years.
"But the biggest point is that we sensed we needed a shift. Didn't mean we needed an overhaul, but we needed a shift of some sort. I think everybody in the organisation sensed that.
“And it feels like we've made a pretty significant shift without giving up our identity and our sense of who we are as a team. I think, all in all, it's a very positive shift."
The Warriors have won four NBA titles under Kerr’s leadership as head coach, most recently in 2022 where Steph Curry won FInals MVP. However, last season saw the dynasty falter following a defeat to the Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Soon after the Warriors season came to a conclusion, general manager Bob Myers announced that he would be stepping down from his role. Together with Myers and Kerr, Golden State enjoyed a period of domination in the NBA winning four titles and reaching the finals six times across eight years.
