Warriors reportedly turn down offer that would have landed them a two-time All-Star

The Golden State Warriors officially waived Chris Paul’s $30 million non-guaranteed deal on Sunday, but not before attempting to explore a trade involving the veteran point guard.

After initially pushing back Paul’s guarantee date by two days, the Warriors apparently failed to reach a suitable deal that would have allowed them to retain his salary.

One deal that was reportedly on the table was from the Chicago Bulls who are desperately trying to find a trade partner for Zach LaVine and the remaining three years and nearly $140 million on his contract.

According to Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report, Golden State turned down the opportunity to trade Paul and Andrew Wiggins in exchange for the 2x All-Star.

“It could have been Zach LaVine for Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins. The way it was explained to me, the Warriors didn’t think that was an appropriate amount for a deal structure.”

– Chris Haynes

It’s understandable that the Warriors didn’t want to include Wiggins, their starting power forward and primary perimeter defender, in order to take over LaVine’s contract. There’s no indication Golden State made a counteroffer, but it’s something they should have at least explored.

The Warriors could have suggested Paul and some combination of Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney and Moses Moody to make the salaries work. Maybe they could have salvaged a pick in the process as well. Even though LaVine’s contract is frowned upon and his injury status is questionable after playing just 25 games this season, it would have been an improvement.

At a minimum, we could have made Paul a player who would have averaged over 20 points per game during his career, and a player who could have replaced Klay Thompson as the team’s starting guard. Instead, Golden State passed on LaVine and chose to part ways with Paul for nothing in return other than financial savings.

While the franchise may have time to turn things around, the last 24 hours have shown that they are not prioritizing their best player of all time, Stephen Curry. The Warriors may have at least tried to grab Paul George, but the results speak for themselves at the moment.