Warriors’ Kerr highlights Popovich’s influence on the NBA and his personal life.

The Golden State Warriors’ decision to trade Jordan Poole in the 2023 offseason wasn’t a huge surprise, considering his underwhelming performance in the playoffs and the looming four-year contract worth over \$30 million annually.

However, the real shock came when the Warriors essentially treated the Poole trade as a salary dump, acquiring Chris Paul’s contract, which had just one guaranteed year remaining. In this deal with the Washington Wizards, the Warriors made a misstep in who they targeted. At the same time, the Wizards also traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics, the reigning NBA champions. While Porzingis may have always had his sights on the Celtics, given he had the option to opt out and become a free agent, there was little indication that the Warriors had shown any interest in the Latvian big man.

Looking back, Golden State might have been better off targeting Porzingis to address a clear position of need, rather than acquiring a veteran point guard in Paul to play behind Stephen Curry. While acquiring Paul may have seemed like the right move at the time, the Warriors’ success in acquiring Jimmy Butler in February raises the question of whether they could have pursued both. This opportunity to rectify the Poole trade might still exist, as the Warriors could potentially make moves this offseason to amend their earlier decisions.

Sources have indicated that the Boston Celtics are expected to make changes to their roster in the offseason, as they aim to balance a team with five players making over \$28 million next season.