The Dubs Dynasty is about to enter a new mini-era with Chris Paul joining the squad, but the goal remains the same: get another championship. Or two.
Draymond Green recently sat down with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk for an interview at his alma mater Michigan State and was his usual candid self when talking about the Warriors and their upcoming season.
“I don't see why we can't get two more championships,” Green told Youngmisuk. “Why not?"
Green is 33 now, Steph Curry is 35 and Klay Thompson is 33, but the championship trio is on the mission for ring No. 5, while Paul is still in search of his first trophy entering Year 19 of his Hall of Fame career.
CP3 was arguably the most hated man in the league for Warriors fans and it sounds like that disdain extended to the players, too. In fact, Green told Youngmisuk on a scale of 1-10 that he hated Paul at an 11.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told Youngmisuk that he approached Draymond, Steph, Klay and Paul about the idea of a trade and they were lukewarm about the proposal.
"All of them initially, including Chris, sort of had some pause,” Dunleavy said. “But then they thought about it and real quick became like, 'Let's do this. This is going to be great.'"
The trade affected the Warriors on a couple of different fronts, as Jordan Poole and his four-year, $123 million contract were the centerpiece of the deal that brought CP3 over from the Washington Wizards. Draymond, of course, punched Poole during a preseason practice last year and the altered team chemistry hung like a cloud over the entire season, before the second-round exit against the Lakers.
Now, The Punch and the years of squabbling with CP3 are in the rear-view mirror. Despite all their history of animosity and playoff battles, Green said Paul’s arrival has given the team some motivation heading into 2023-24.
"We've kind of gotten over that hump now," Green said. "But then there'll be another hump of actually playing together that'll take some getting used to. But I'm excited about it. … My goal is that we can help Chris Paul get his first championship."
For now, the Warriors are floating around the sixth-best odds to win the 2024 NBA title – anywhere from +1000 to +1400 – according to VegasInsider.com.