Chris Paul's Adjustment to Warriors Might Not be Easy
All good things must come to an end, and that cycle proved to be true when the Phoenix Suns officially parted ways with point guard Chris Paul on the trade market this summer.
Paul arrived at a crucial time for the Suns and helped the organization reach heights such as the 2021 NBA Finals and a 64 win regular season the following year, a franchise record.
Phoenix ultimately decided to part ways with the 38-year-old guard, who eventually landed with the Golden State Warriors after briefly being dealt to the Washington Wizards.
Landing with the Warriors is almost a dream scenario for any player considering the team's recent run in success, mounting themselves as a dynasty last seen by the league with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. They've built a winning culture and have sustained success for a decade now with incredible coaches and players.
Yet Paul's fit with his new squad seems just a bit odd, for a few different reasons.
Paul is undoubtedly a future Hall of Fame inductee and has been the focal point of wherever he's been since first arriving in the league. No matter what city he played in, Paul's abilities as a floor general demanded a large role.
That might not be the case with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson occupying Golden State's backcourt. There's a possibility Paul is coming off the bench if coach Steve Kerr decides not to utilize all three in the starting lineup.
He didn't sound very pleased when asked about coming off the bench.
Another dynamic Paul will navigate is the solving the tricky relationship with Draymond Green, as the two have a well documented past with each other.
Green - who addressed the upcoming situation on Paul George's podcast - says there's very much still
"Everyone's like, 'How they supposed to be teammates now?' And I'll tell you how. No. 1, I've never been in the situation really to build a relationship with him. I'm an adult, Chris is an adult. Like, we can talk amongst men. And that, I look forward to. There's no sugarcoating what's happened all these years," said Green.
"This is real life. Like, people get it twisted. Like, oh man, you're in character. No, this is real life we're living when we're playing in these games.
"So to just go front and act like all those things was fake—like I publicly said I didn't like Chris before. I'm not going to just be like, 'Oh, man, that changed now that he's my teammate.' No. I look forward to talking amongst men. I look forward to working with another adult. I've had my fair share of days of not working with adults, and people who don't move like adults.
"So I'm looking forward to going to work with an adult. You know what I'm saying? Chris is a pro. I'm looking forward to going to work with a pro. He's super smart and he's shown to be a great leader."
Paul is as professional as they come, so sooner or later the former Suns point guard will settle into whatever role Kerr and the rest of Golden State's staff have in mind for him.
However, due to various factors, that might take a bit for Paul this late in his career.
