The first major hurdle the Warriors must clear this offseason will have to wait.
Chris Paul agreed with the team to push back his $30 million contract guarantee deadline date two days — from today to Sunday. Extending the deadline date allows Golden State extra time to seek trades in which they could guarantee Paul’s contract and include it in a deal.
The maneuver was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Paul’s new deadline is now the same day as the official start of free agency. Expect a flurry of transactions league-wide on June 30 at 3 p.m.
In his 19th season, Paul averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists per game in his first-ever bench role. He was a member of many of Golden State’s most productive lineups but was never the cleanest fit with Steph Curry and the Warriors.
Golden State acquired Paul last summer in the Jordan Poole trade to get off Poole’s long-term, big-money contract. Paul’s non-guaranteed salary structure gives the Warriors optionality: They can waive him for $30 million in cap relief or find a team that would take on his $30 million salary and link with them for a trade. Guaranteeing his contract to bring him back — as an expensive, aging backup point guard — is not a realistic option.
There is smoke surrounding the Warriors and Paul George, the most talented star potentially available. The Clippers have reportedly balked at giving the 34-year-old wing a full four-year maximum extension, opening the door for George to opt in and steer a trade to a team that would be willing to dole one out to him.
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For salary matching purposes, Paul would likely have to be included in a trade for George or another All-Star caliber player.
But a George trade would have to happen fast. His contract deadline is Saturday, and if he declines it to hit free agency, the Warriors’ path to acquiring him vanishes.