People Don’t Understand This Chris Paul Warriors Trade

Before I start this video, I need to say that I never once said a single bad thing about Chris Paul ever in my life, but please don't fact check that. So Jordan Poole was traded for Chris Paul. Jordan Poole unfollowed Draymond Green on Instagram. The Warriors also included Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins, and two picks in the trade. Then drafted Brandon Podziemski at number 19 and Trace Jackson Davis at number 57. Then they picked up Javon Johnson who went undrafted. What an insane 24 hours. At first I was pretty stunned by the Chris Paul trade, but as time went on and as I had more and more time to digest what just happened, I came to the realization that Mike Dunleavy Jr. is a genius. And I mean it. From a basketball standpoint and a business standpoint, the new GM of the Warriors just orchestrated a brilliant move and as a result, the Warriors are now in a prime position to contend for the 2024 championship. This ain't a joke. I ain't kidding. I'm not over-exaggerating. The Warriors are in a prime position to win it all again next season. And I'm about to break this down for you. First off, let's get one fact straight. Despite the Nuggets winning the championship, and despite Giannis leading the Bucks to the number one seed in the East, the Golden State Warriors still have the best 5-man starting lineup in the entire NBA. And if you don't believe me, just take a look at the facts. During the 2023 regular season, the combination of Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Draymond, and Looney combined to outscore opponents by 24.3 when they were on the court together. The Nuggets, led by Jokic, were at a plus 12.6, whereas the Bucks, led by Giannis, were at a plus 8. The same thing happened in the 2023 playoffs. When the Warriors starting 5 were on the court together, they outscored their opponents by 20.1 points, whereas the Nuggets were at 7.9 and the Bucks were at 9.6. You know, after researching these numbers, I came to a profound realization, and that's uh… not only are the Warriors starting 5 better than the rest of the league, but they're far better. I mean, as good as the Nuggets are with Jokic leading them, the Warriors starting 5 are beating the Nuggets starting 5 by a factor of 2 when it comes to outscoring opponents. That ain't my opinion, there's no bias in there, that's just numbers. And like Jay-Z once said, men lie, women lie, numbers don't. Anyway, the only reason why Golden State weren't an elite team was because of the bench. You see, whenever Steph went to take a rest, opposing teams would instantly go on a run, and if I had to be honest, it was stressful to watch those non-curry minutes. And to show you exactly what I mean, I'll use Jordan Poole as a quick example. So, as good as the Poole party was in the Warriors 2022 championship run, the opposite happened in 2023, and uh… it's not an exaggeration to say that his production numbers dropped off a cliff. I mean, as per the numbers, when he was on the court, the Warriors had an offensive rating of 113.6, but when he was off the court, they were at 121.2. Looking at the whole picture, the Warriors had the highest offensive rating in the NBA when Poole was off the court, but when he was actually on the court, they'd be right between the Wizards and the Timberwolves at number 23. No offense, but that's downright atrocious to be in the company of those two teams. Well, in 2024, that's all gonna change, because when Steph goes to the bench, Chris Paul, the one they call the point god, is going to take over. Now, I know CP3 is like 38 years old and injury prone, but that's when he was averaging like what, 30 plus minutes a game? Well, with the Warriors, he doesn't need to be the man anymore. So, if Steph plays 30 minutes a night, Paul can just fill up the non-curry minutes and play 18 minutes, which should help a ton towards keeping him fresh and off the injury report. He'll also be coming off the bench and leading that second unit, which means he'll be mainly playing against opposing team's bench players, and for someone of CP3's caliber, that should be barbecue chicken. You know, I'm actually really excited to see this, because for the first time in a long time, the Warriors bench has a chance to be elite. I mean, can y'all imagine their starting unit getting a 10 point lead, then their second unit coming in and extending that to like 15 or maybe 20? Sheesh. Anyway, here's one thing that people haven't realized yet. So, you got Chris Paul running the show, right? And with Kaminga on one side and Trace on the other, you know what that is? Lob City. Yeah, that's right. Lob City is coming to the Bay Area. These two aren't as tall as Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, but they sure have hops. Because look, we already know how high Kaminga can fly, but uh, you know, after the Warriors signed Trace, I immediately went online to see what type of player he is, and this is what I saw. Man, this guy definitely ain't a shooter like Steph or Klay, but the dude is a young, athletic, rim-running big who excels in pick and roll situations and who battles on the boards. That's literally the exact type of player the Warriors need. Last year in college, the 6'9", 245 pound center averaged 21 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks per game. I know it was just in college, but by those numbers, he's sort of like a poor man's Nikola Jokic. And uh, you know, Trace only ended up as the 57th pick because he played 4 years in college and is 23 years old at the moment. You see, because most teams prefer younger talents that they could develop, someone like Trace isn't their ideal pick. On the other hand, he's literally perfect for the Warriors because they're going all in on Steph's timeline. And what's going to make him even better for the Warriors is the fact that he's playing with a chip on his shoulders. Yeah, just like Draymond was, Trace is angry at the fact that he slid into the second round and tweeted this to the rest of the league. Y'all will regret it, I promise you. And here's another crazy fact about this dude. So last year in NCAA basketball, the National College Player of the Year was Zach Edie, a 7'4 center, but right behind him at number two and right ahead of Brandon Miller, who was the number two overall pick, is none other than Trace Jackson Davis. Sheesh, guys. Who would have thought the Warriors would find such a gem pick at number 57? I mean, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, attitude, size, age? He'll fit right in with the Warriors. And coming off the bench, whether it's Steph or CP3 running the offense, he'll be the recipient of a lot of lobs. And like I said, it's not just him either. Kaminga's there too. And uh, I think Chris Paul is going to unlock the human helicopter next year. Because look, Kaminga already made huge strides last year. Whether it was the three-point shot, or a shot from within the arc, or a cut to the rim, Kaminga already took a huge leap forward. Then with another offseason to improve, not only will he continue making strides on his own, but he'll also have CP3 there to make him even better. That's going to be scary for the league. Because look, everywhere CP3 goes, his team gets better. Like back when he was a Clipper, he turned DeAndre Jordan into an All-NBA player for three consecutive years. Then with the Rockets, he had them up 3-2 against a Kevin Durant-led Warriors team, and they could have arguably won that series if not for his hamstring injury. Then with the OKC Thunder, that team was initially thought to be his career graveyard. But instead, while mentoring a young Shea Gilgeous Alexander, he got them to the playoffs, where the Thunder brought a prime James Harden and Russell Westbrook to a Game 7. Then after getting acquired by the Suns, he brought a sorry Phoenix team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs in over a decade, to within two games of an NBA championship. And now, he's leading the second unit of the Warriors? Man, the only thing anyone could ever say about Chris Paul at this point in his career is that he's old and injury prone. But if the man just plays like 18 minutes per game and stays healthy, this is going to be one scary team. Strength in Numbers is officially back. With regards to Brandon Podziemski, I don't think he'll get too many minutes because of his age, but the undrafted player, Javon Johnson, who stands 6'6", played 5 years in college, is 24 turning 25, and is an absolute sniper from downtown. He's pretty much a plug and play type of player, who could also fit in with the second unit. Now, at this point, the Warriors should still go and acquire another big free agent. If they could find a 7 foot center in the G League who's hungry, who could potentially play the JaVale McGee role, then the Warriors would pretty much be set for a deep postseason run. I mean, the chemistry issue they had is solved, their size is solved, the non-Curry minutes are solved, so if they could just stay healthy, dare I say that a championship is waiting for them? Anyway, y'all wanna know something funny? So Jason Dumas recently asked the two new Warriors picks, Brandon and Trace, if they've talked to any of their teammates yet. Both of them said no, but saw that Steph Curry followed both of them and they got really excited.