Warriors May Consider Trading Star if Struggles Continue: Analyst

Getty Chris Paul #3 and Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Thompson made a three-point shot.

The Golden State Warriors may consider trading 12-time All-Star guard Chris Paul if they continue to fade in the Western Conference as the February trade deadline looms, according to a salary cap guru.

If their struggles continue, their trade deadline objective could be to save money rather than upgrade the roster,” Hoopshype’s salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan wrote.

The Warriors are currently 11th in the West with a 9-11 record. They have blown big 20-point leads thrice this season, including two over the last week. If the Warriors are shot, trading Paul at the February trade deadline could shave their payroll by at least $7.5 million and their tax bill by $50 million. They could save more, according to Gozlan, if the Warriors can offload the players they receive.

At the moment, the Warriors have the league’s most expensive payroll at $211,820,254, per Hoopshype. They will pay a staggering $192.5 million in tax penalties this season. Warriors owner Joe Lacob is no stranger to forking out insane money as he’d done in their past championship runs. But can he stomach paying that if the Warriors continue to be a fringe play-in team as February arrives?

Warriors Open to Retaining Chris Paul for the Right Price

On the flip side, the Warriors would be open to retaining Paul beyond this season if they can overcome this rough stretch, according to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto.

“Golden State has been pleased with Paul’s production and fit with the team and is open to keeping him beyond this season for the right price, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote.

Paul stands to earn $30.8 million this season and has a non-guaranteed $30 million salary for 2024-25. The veteran guard missed the Warriors’ last two games with a lower leg contusion.

The future Hall-of-Famer is averaging career-low numbers across the board — 8.9 points on 40% overall shooting and 33% from deep along with 3.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists against only 1.1 turnover. That remarkable assist-to-turnover ratio is what inspired the Warriors to acquire him in the offseason.

Klay Thompson Is off the Table

While Paul’s future is shaky, Klay Thompson is standing on solid ground despite his poor start to the season.

“Everybody knows Klay is frustrated. There is no hiding that. But there has not been one conversation about trading him at this point, and that won’t change as long as Steph (Curry) is around,” an NBA executive told Heavy Sports’ league insider Sean Deveney.

“Steph would rather go down swinging with Klay than trade him for some shiny object that might or might not improve you a little. And, really, ownership would too, even if they’re frustrated with Klay on the contract stuff,” he added.

Thompson, who is notorious for having slow starts is only averaging 15.7 points on 40.8% shooting, making just 36.1% of his 3-pointers in the Warriors’ first 20 games.

Warriors Monitoring Grizzlies’ Reserve Wing

Sotto also reported that the Warriors are among the teams monitoring Memphis Grizzlies’ swingman John Konchar.

“Reserve forward John Konchar is also a candidate to be dealt before the February trade deadline. The Celtics, Warriors, and Lakers are among the teams who’ve kept tabs on Konchar’s situation from afar, HoopsHype has learned,” Scotto wrote.

Like the rest of the Grizzlies, still reeling from Ja Morant’s suspension, Konchar is struggling this season. The 6-foot-5 Konchar is only averaging 3.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting a career-low 34.9 percent from the field. But he is a good rebounder for his size.