Warriors 'Needed' Former Suns PG Chris Paul
In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Robin Lundberg, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said the team "needed" former Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul.
“Our team last year needed another way to attack and we became a little too one dimensional with Steph [Curry] in high ball screens,” Kerr said.
“We needed another playmaker to give us a different look and Chris is, as we know, one of the all-time great pick-and-roll players and he’ll know how to control the tempo. It’s hugely important—especially in playoff games—to have guys like that.”
Paul was traded from Phoenix to the Washington Wizards in a package that landed Bradley Beal for the Suns. Soon after, Paul found himself in Golden State with Jordan Poole heading the other way to Washington.
The Suns ultimately decided to move on from Paul in an offseason of major moves and shakeups to the roster.
In a different interview with ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Kerr said the team still doesn't exactly know what role Paul will have thanks to a crowded backcourt that includes Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
"I think that'll be a case where you get three weeks of training camp before that first game," Kerr said. "We'll just look at all kinds of different combinations. The main thing is we know all those guys are going to play a lot of minutes. But the luxury of having Chris Paul to add to this group that we've been lucky enough to have for a decade... pretty remarkable."