Sources: Warriors, Paul push deadline, eye trade
The Golden State Warriors and guard Chris Paul intend to move the date to guarantee the $30 million on his 2024-25 contract to the start of free agency on Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deadline to lock in Paul’s contract was originally Friday, but this gives the Warriors a small window of time to keep exploring possible trades.
There is also still a possibility that Golden State ultimately will waive Paul, giving the team major cap relief. But sources told ESPN that the Warriors wanted to help ensure Paul had a good landing place on another team — if they can find the right deal.
Paul’s contract would have to be included in any big trade for an All-Star-caliber player.
Paul, who turned 39 in May, averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game in 58 games for the Warriors last season, primarily in a bench role.
He was brought to the Warriors last offseason in a trade that dealt Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards, and Golden State hoped he would be a reliable and trustworthy point guard and floor general on the second unit.