Does Chris Paul Trade Finally Equate To A Miami Heat vs. Golden State Warriors Finals?

When veteran point guard Chris Paul was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Golden State Warriors, it perhaps created an NBA Finals matchup that somehow has been avoided.

Since 2011, the Warriors or Miami Heat have competed in 12 of the 13 Finals without facing each other.

The closest opportunity was in 2022, when the Heat were a Jimmy Butler 3-pointer from facing Golden State instead of the Boston Celtics.

Former Heat superstar LeBron James saw his fair share of Golden State throughout the years. Unfortunately, he didn’t have Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen and Chris Bosh to combat Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. James went 1-3 against Golden State in the Finals.

While a 2024 rendition wouldn’t feature as much star power, it would still be an interesting battle between two experienced teams.

With that said, the Heat and Warriors are both unlikely to replicate past Finals success. Paul is a good addition but it is tricky how they’ll run the offense with him and Curry. Thompson would have to start at the 3, which only continues the size issues they had last season.

The Heat made the Finals last season but it was largely due to a historically miraculous run. They finally met their match against the Denver Nuggets, which calls for major upgrades. But with Pat Riley’s refusal to make a big acquisition, Miami may be in the doldrums of the Eastern Conference again.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.