The Warriors and Chris Paul have agreed to push back his salary guarantee deadline from Friday to Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Paul’s $30MM salary for 2024/25 will now become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30 rather than June 28. The move will give Golden State a couple more days to continue exploring trades involving Paul’s expiring contract.
[RELATED: Early NBA Salary Guarantee Dates For 2024/25]
Paul, who turned 39 in May, remained productive in 2023/24, averaging 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game in 58 appearances (18 starts) for the Warriors. He posted a shooting line of .441/.371/.827.
While those are solid numbers for a backup point guard, they don’t warrant a $30MM investment. Still, rather than simply waiving the 12-time All-Star, the Warriors have been scouring the trade market to see if they can use his expiring salary to accommodate a trade.
The NBA’s salary-matching rules only count the guaranteed portion of a player’s cap hit for outgoing purposes in a trade (his incoming value for a trade partner would be his full $30MM), so in order to use CP3 as a trade chip, Golden State will have to partially or fully guaranteed the contract. That scenario would benefit Paul, who wouldn’t make any of that $30MM otherwise if he’s waived, so he has some incentive to lend the Warriors a hand by giving them more time to find a deal.
Paul George is one possible trade candidate who has been linked to the Warriors this week, with Marc Stein reporting on Substack that Golden State has been “prioritizing the pursuit of George above all other business.” The Clippers forward would have to pick up his 2024/25 player option and request a trade for that to be a feasible possibility.
What happens with Paul could have an impact on the Warriors’ negotiations with Klay Thompson. The team will be hard-capped at the second tax apron in 2024/25 after agreeing to send out cash in a trade on Thursday, so there may not be room under that apron to acquire another player with a significant salary and then re-sign Thompson.
YES, please bring PG13 to GSW!
Trade anyone but Curry, Green, Kuminga and Moody!!
THE WINDOW IS STAYING OPEN!!!
Sarcasm. SMH so what the warriors are hoping for is some team will take Paul’s contract if they add on some 1st round draft picks. Sounds like a bad and desperate situation for the warriors.
What you would just rather run it back with the same team? The same team that didn’t make the playoffs? You have to go for something here.
Paul, Wiggins, Moody, 1 frp. Done. George to GSW.
Gary, I’m not sure that would be enough from what I’ve read. Probably not a chance of this but I’d rather see a trade for an Eastern Conference package.
it is if that’s what PG wants to do
I would rather run back that same team then take on some bad contracts in the future that makes them terrible for the next 4 years.
Sorry, its not even sarcasm, I just believe in Steph Curry! Its all about just finding the right combos of players behind Steph/Dray/Kuminga, and not giving Kerr a chance to play small ball, like we had way too many guards last year. Payton II simply isn’t a power forward despite getting away with that in 2022 for a couple months!
I just don’t want them to bring back any long deals that they will regret. They are getting so close to being able to sign free agents again to compete.
I feel that, it’s a fair stance to take here, I just feel we can do both that part, and what I see, which is the window requires us at this point to get rid of Klay, Wiggins, GP2, and CP3 and bring back a superstar who can carry the team, and PG13 is a perfect match, right down to being a big (another overall need). Despite PG13 having some injuries, he’s at least a great overall fit and those guys leaving all are inconsistent anyway.
I’d trade Chris Paul, Looney, Moody, Klay for Zach Lavine
Paul $10m one year deal
Klay $20M one year deal
Trade anyone but the two players that would at a minimum need to be included Kuminga and Moody. David the window is a display.
I’m sorry you cannot face the fact that as long as Steph Curry is on the roster, the window is open.
You are openly lying to yourself that all of Kuminga, Moody, Jackson-Davis and Podziemski are all terrible players…when its the opposite…
I still like the idea of Chris Paul for Bradley Beal. Suns want out of that contract and they’ll take a one-year deal instead of paying Beal for three more years.
Plug Beal into Klay Thompson’s starting spot and the Warriors are rolling again.
Beal isn’t leaving Phoenix and the Suns can’t do anything about it.
Chris Paul for Brook Lopez is my fave deal. We need more bigs and less no-defense guards on this team!
Beal is a not a good player and his contract is horrible. Add 150 million plus after this year. That would means the warriors will be horrible for the next 5 years.
no. no. no! please god no!
what strain are you smoking right now gary because i want some?
Bradley Beal are you serious? you’re not serious. this is a joke. Good one Gary. You got us.
People’s, we’re definitely not going to run it back with the same squad. Klay is leaving and they’re trying to trade Chris paul. Who are you suggesting the targets are?
Donavan Mitchell
we don’t a lesser version of curry playing alongside curry
Anyone but Beal. Did you even see how he gets $200 million for the next 4 years.
dejounte murray would be a better fit, move curry to 2 and not bringing the ball up every possession. he’s better running off screens now anyways.
Getting Murray would be amazing. Is he available or are they trying to trade Tre Young?
The only team stupid enough to pay Chris Paul 30 million next season is the Chicago Bulls. Warriors have to be trying to get LaVine. Or maybe the Wizards are begging to get off Poole. I really dont see any other scenario where CP3 is traded with that contract.
I mean if enough decent draft picks are included, it MIGHT not be that stupid for the Bulls. Lonzo is cooked. Paul could mentor Giddey. Gets them out of longterm $ owed to LaVine.
Warriors had to give up a 1st rounder to get rid of Poole’s contract so unless they get 2 i 1st rounder back no way. laVine would be a better player but you would need a third team to make the money cap space work out.
Like it or not, something big is going to happen. Curry and Dray demand it and it will happen. They all want to stay relevant next 2 yrs. Under Armour and all sponsors want it. They will sacrifice W’s future. :(
Nah, it’s more like CP3 wanting to get paid something better than the vet minimum for what will likely be his last season and the Warriors out of respect making sure there’s no deal to be done before they cut him.
Duh! they don’t play for 10th place in the west.
Paul should just call it a day. Leave and go sign with Clippers to end his career there. For minimum ……
CP3 is no fool. He’ll extend the deadline all summer if it looks like he can be used in a deal for matching purposes. Whatever part of his deal is guaranteed for that purpose will just be a check made payable to him, and, once released, he can sign on for minimum with whoever he chooses or go play golf.
He will not push it back any further since he knows there is nobody out there willing to take the contract unless its in a trade.
If I was GSW I would be trying to hold Kuminga, Moody, TJD, Steph and Dray, trade as many others as possible. I would be trying to acquire PG13 and Marcus Smart, and run a starting lineup of Draymond, George, Kuminga, Smart and Curry, with Moody as the 6th man. Think of the defense…the magnificent defense!!!
GSW actually does have the trade firepower to remodel the team around Kuminga, Moody, TJD, Steph and Dray, along with now Post. They have to get it VERY right, but if they do, a title next season is not out of the question.