Back on June 22, the Warriors shook up the NBA landscape by agreeing to deal Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul.
About nine days later, Oakland native and Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard reportedly requested a trade after spending his past 11 seasons in the pacific northwest. Did the Warriors make their move too early?
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” earlier this week to share some more insight on the hypothetical scenario of Dame joining forces with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
“This feels like the Warriors decided to go all in with this current core, which is what we were talking about last year,” Shelburne said. “Do they just stick with the big three and just ride ‘til the end? That’s kinda what it seems like they’re doing. Now the question is – who rides with ‘em? …
“They could have waited for Dame. Dame is from the Bay Area, I know he was interested. It got to the point to where he asked for a trade and the list was given. The Warriors initially would have been on that list, but now it’s not possible because of the move they made. They’re sort of locked in. They could have waited. I think they did a smart thing for trading for Chris Paul when they did, because they reserved optionality, plus they get a really good player.”
By the time Dame requested to be dealt, the Warriors were already moving forward with their new franchise plan. On 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast”, hosts Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky discussed why Paul is a better fit for the Warriors.
While it’s easy to see the 38-year-old Paul coming off the bench as an elite backup point guard and finishing games for the Warriors next season, Bonta and Shasky don’t think Lillard would have meshed well with the current roster. Check out the full discussion on YouTube:
Bonta: “Is anybody banging the table saying, ‘Damnit! We coulda had Damian Lillard over Chris Paul!’ Because I’m not.”
Shasky: “Here’s what Dame is owed moving forward. He made $43 million this year. Next year? $46 million. The year after that? $49 million. In 2025-26? $50 million. In 2026-27? $63 million. … What does that look like? You have Klay, Steph and Dame starting – that’s a very short backcourt with minimal defense. Very optional.”
Bonta: “Dame needs the ball in his hands. I’m not here to slander Dame. He’s one of our own.”
Shasky: “I just don’t think he’s a great fit.”
Bonta: “That’s the thing – Chris Paul’s a better fit.”
