“We Needed A Shift” Says Kerr Of Jordan Poole, Chris Paul Trade

rsz 1200x02 1
rsz 1200x02 1

There were shockwaves sent through the NBA last week when the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards pulled off a blockbuster trade. In a swapping of huge contracts, Chris Paul will be heading out West to play with Steph Curry and company, while Jordan Poole will now be playing in the nation’s capital.

Warriors Coach Speaks Up About Chris Paul Trade

The future was uncertain for both players. Ever since the Sun’s embarrassing exit from the playoffs back in early May, there have been rumors floating about Paul. There were reports that the team was looking to move on and add a different piece to their core, and it was said that he’d be waived if they were unable to find a trade partner.

But they eventually found a taker in the Wizards, who themselves wanted to shift their financial books by ridding themselves of Bradley Beal. But Washington wasn’t done dealing, as they knew that it was unlikely that Paul would ever suit up for them.

They found a taker in the Warriors. Jordan Poole was thought to be the heir-apparent to Steph Curry, the leader of the next generation of Golden State’s continuing dynasty. They paid him as such, inking Poole to a 4-year, $128 million contract that isn’t set to kick in until the coming season.

But things didn’t go very well for Poole and the Warriors at the beginning and ends of the 2022-23 season. It began with the now-infamous punch thrown by Draymond Green that connected with Poole’s jaw, an unfortunate incident which apparently put up a wall between the young guys and the veterans on the team.

Poole Gets A Fresh Start In Washington

The problems showed up in the playoffs, when Poole had poor performances in the first two series before his team was eliminated. He shrunk in what were the biggest moments of the season, a bad sign for a guy set to make over $30 million in each of the next few seasons.

So the Warriors did something that their fans thought to be unthinkable. They traded Jordan Poole for Chris Paul in a swap of massive salaries, and both teams will get a fresh start. The Warriors have certainly mortgaged some of their future by adding the aging and oft-injured Paul, but they apparently needed a change, according to Steve Kerr.

“We needed a shift. Didn’t mean we needed an overhaul, but we needed a shift of some sort.”

There may still be more shifting to come. The Warriors have obvious improvements to make to their roster if they want to compete this coming year and in the near future. Green is currently a free agent after opting out of his deal, and Kerr has stressed the importance of brining him back.


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