Golden State Warriors make smart move with Chris Paul’s contract

The Golden State Warriors are a team that will be closely watched by many people in the coming days. Their roster could look very different as several veterans could transfer. One of those veterans is Chris Paul.

The future Hall of Famer was acquired from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole last offseason, a move he was likely happy about after the Phoenix Suns sent him there in the Bradley Beal blockbuster.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well as either side had hoped, with Chris Paul showing he was willing to do whatever the team asked when he came off the bench for possibly the first time in his basketball career.

The results were not great, as the Golden State Warriors missed the playoffs and were eliminated in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Ahead of the 2024 NBA offseason, Chris Paul’s future is certainly uncertain.

When considering what to do with him, the Golden State Warriors made a smart move. Both sides agreed to push back the guarantee date on his contract to Sunday, when free agency begins in the NBA.

This gives the team a small window of opportunity to explore other trade routes around Chris Paul. The Golden State Warriors could use a $30 million salary to try and get one or two players who have needs in other areas of the roster.

The original deadline for his contract to be guaranteed was Friday. There is still a chance that the Golden State Warriors decide to release Chris Paul to take salary relief, but they will then have a little more time to look for other options.

If the team wanted to make a deal with someone like Paul George, they needed Chris Paul’s contract. Moving the deadline was the right move for the team, and he’s a consummate professional who agreed to do it despite knowing he could end up being traded to a team that has no chance of competing in the 2024-25 season.