Grading Warriors-Wizards deal centered around Chris Paul, Jordan Poole

We have a major blockbuster trade just hours before the 2023 NBA Draft as the Washington Wizards have sent recently acquired point guard Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors for a package that includes Jordan Poole. The Wizards are getting future draft picks, Ryan Rollins and Patrick Baldwin Jr. in the deal as well.

We’ll offer our instant grade of the deal below.

Warriors: A-

Golden State adds another veteran piece to its lineup and with Draymond Green most likely returning to the organization on a new deal, it appears that the Warriors have abandoned its short-lived experiment of trying to compete for titles while planning for the future. It has been stated publicly that the preseason fight between Green and Poole last year soured the team’s chemistry this past season and it was clear that one of them had to go. That turned out to be Poole, who failed to provide a spark for the team during the playoffs.

As for CP3, this will presumably be his final shot at securing a ring and it’s an ideal situation. Given his age and injury problems over the past few years, the Warriors could preserve him by bringing him off the bench as a Sixth Man and use him in spots to alleviate the pressure off Steph Curry.

Wizards: B+

Washington continues its complete roster teardown this week and gets to kick the tires on a young guard that will be under contract for four years. On top of the barrage of future second-rounders from Phoenix as part of the Bradley Beal deal, the Wizards actually get a future first-rounder out of this trade, although it is protected.

The Wizards’ roster is going to look completely different with Beal and Kristaps Porzingis gone, as well as Kyle Kuzma declining his player option to become a free agent. Their backcourt will now consist of Poole and newly acquired point guard Tyus Jones from Memphis and that’s not a bad pairing for a franchise that is undergoing a total overhaul.