The Golden State Warriors shocked the NBA when they traded Jordan Poole for Chris Paul. Despite already boasting Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, general manager Mike Dunleavy decided to add another veteran ball-handler to the rotation ahead of the new NBA season. Paul’s leadership, playmaking, and scoring ability will all be valuable tools for Steve Kerr to implement throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.
However, there are questions surrounding whether Paul will be part of Golden State’s starting lineup or if he should be coming off the bench. On July 10, Dunleavy addressed the media following a Warriors summer league practice in Las Vegas, where he answered questions surrounding the recent addition of Paul.
“Adding Chris was a chance to get better and address some things for us overall as a team,” Dunleavy said. “It also gives us some financial flexibility moving forward…We feel like we got a really good player that’s going to address some of the stuff that we’re looking to do in terms of experience, taking care of the ball, decision-making, the ability to run pick-and-roll. Chris does a lot of those things and we feel like he can enhance our team.”
Speaking for the first time since the Chris Paul trade and other free-agent moves became finalized last Thursday, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. discussed those decisions and the overall state of the roster Monday in Las Vegas.https://t.co/lIuyYmpJng pic.twitter.com/fyDi4uw8SY
— C.J. Holmes 🚀 (@CjHolmes22) July 11, 2023
While Dunleavy stopped short of discussing a potential role for Paul and will likely leave that decision up to Steve Kerr, it’s clear the GM believes this move improved his team. Paul is among the best guards of his generation, if not in the history of the NBA, and will bring a wealth of knowledge and skill to Golden State’s roster.
Hopefully, Paul and Kerr can reach a mutually desirable decision on the veteran role for next season so that Golden State can focus on enjoying a hard start to the season and begin building winning habits in training camp.
