Warriors confirm new squad after Chris Paul move

With NBA free agency beginning next week, the Golden State Warriors have been busy making new moves.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the team has decided not to extend a qualifying offer to defenseman Lester Quinones:

“The Golden State Warriors will not make a qualifying offer to defenseman Lester Quinones, league sources said @hoopshype. The 23-year-old guard will become an unrestricted free agent after making 36.4 percent of his 3-point shots in 37 games for the Warriors last season.”

The move comes as the Warriors have some tough decisions to make in the offseason. With the team hitting the salary cap, it is relatively limited in making sweeping changes to a roster that disappointed last season. Core player Klay Thompson, still effective but in slump, could potentially leave Golden State if he doesn’t get a contract he likes.

The Warriors are also considering trading forward Andrew Wiggins for a pay cut and even banning him from playing for the Canadian national team at the Olympics this summer.

Quinones, who signed a two-way contract with the Warriors in 2022, played 44 games over two seasons, averaging 4.2 points per game.

Warriors and Chris Paul make a decision in transfer talks

Warriors guard Chris Paul has agreed to postpone the guaranteed date for his $30 million salary for the 2024-2025 season to June 30. The decision was made shortly before the deadline on Friday.

The news comes amid rumors that both Wiggins and Paul are being “aggressively” traded as the Warriors look to reshape their struggling former championship-caliber roster in the short term. This could be a sign that Paul is leaving Golden State.

Paul averaged less than ten points per game last season and hit 44.1 percent of his shots from the field, a solid but unspectacular result. He dished out 6.8 assists in limited minutes, but wasn’t his usual self in terms of offensive efficiency and effectiveness on defense. A big reason for his high assist numbers are passes to Stephen Curry, who had another MVP-worthy season in 2023-24.

Paul turned 39 in May, and unless his career picks up again in his 40s, his days as a top-tier NBA player appear numbered – which is one reason Golden State appears to be willing to deal him.

With such an astronomical contract amount, it will be difficult for the Warriors to find a buyer, although the New Orleans Pelicans, who just signed Dejounte Murray on Friday, may be interested according to recent rumors. Most likely, he will either return to Golden State or reach a severance agreement and then sign with another team for a much lower amount. A team like the San Antonio Spurs makes perfect sense for Paul at a lower price than he currently has.