Warriors and Chris Paul postpone contract deadline due to transfer rumors

The Warriors have two additional days to consider what to do with Chris Paul.

According to multiple reports, Golden State and the 39-year-old guard have agreed to move up from Friday to Sunday the deadline for guaranteeing his $30 million salary for next season – the final year of a four-year, $120 million contract signed with the Suns in August 2021.

The purpose of this move, according to ESPN, was to find a potential trade partner that would fit Paul, though the outlet added that there is still a possibility the Warriors could waive him to save salary space under the cap.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. hinted at the possibility of an extension during a press conference on Thursday, but he felt the team’s decision regarding Paul – the guard who spent last season with Golden State after being traded from the Suns to the Wizards and then from the Wizards to the Warriors within four days – did not reflect the “turning point” of the offseason.

“We still have some time to do this, it’s going to take time,” Dunleavy told reporters on Thursday, “and we’ll come to a decision. But as far as the turning point, no, that’s not the case. We’ll figure it out and go from there, but I don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference in how things play out overall.”

In his first year with the Warriors, Paul averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists per game, starting just 18 games, the fewest he’s played as a starter in his career, and found himself in a complementary role alongside a struggling group that nonetheless boasted a star-studded cast.

The Warriors, who finished 10th in the Western Conference, were eliminated by the Kings in the opening game of the play-in tournament, beginning an offseason filled with speculation about the futures of Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Paul.

According to The Ringer, Wiggins will likely be “aggressively pursued,” in addition to the possibility of a Paul trade.

These are the decisions that will shape the Warriors’ offseason, and around this time last year, they were Paul’s last stop after a turbulent week.

He was traded from the Suns – where he had played since 2020-21 – to the Wizards in a three-way trade on June 23, and a few days later Washington sent him to the Warriors as part of the deal that also brought Jordan Poole to the Warriors.

But depending on what Dunleavy decides by Sunday, he could only stay with Golden State for one season.