Warriors reserve level guard Chris Paul fractured his left hand in a sport in opposition to the Pistons on Friday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania notes that Paul will require surgery for the harm, whereas Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports {that a} restoration timeline for the 38-year-old has but to be established.
The 12-time All-Star departed in the course of the third quarter of an eventual 113-109 residence win, after battling with Detroit capturing guard Jaden Ivey for a rebound. He concluded his evening with eight factors, six boards, and 4 dimes.
This is a large blow for Golden State, and never simply on the court docket.
Paul’s $30.8M 2023-24 contract may have been an enormous commerce chip, however with only a month remaining till this season’s deadline, it seems unlikely he’ll be wholesome in time to attraction to rival groups as something greater than an expiring contract.
He is technically owed $30M subsequent season, although that cash is non-guaranteed and nearly definitely will not be picked up by any membership. The Warriors may nonetheless bundle Paul’s cash together with future draft fairness and a few mixture of younger gamers on rookie-scale salaries.
The six-footer is now definitively in a distinct part of his Hall of Fame NBA run. Through his 31 wholesome contests this season, Paul’s averages of 9.0 PPG, 7.3 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 27.7 MPG all signify profession lows. He achieved that scoring output pretty effectively, nonetheless, with a capturing line of .421/.357/.854.
Paul’s hand harm is the second long-term ailment to afflict Golden State’s backcourt this week. Defense-first guard Gary Payton II incurred a grade 2 left hamstring pressure and will miss at the least the following three weeks as he recovers.
Without Paul or Payton accessible, the Warriors appear more likely to lean much more on standout rookie combo guard Brandin Podziemski, with veteran level guard Cory Joseph one other candidate to get some additional rotation run.
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