This would’ve been the worst trade in NBA history and nothing else would’ve came close.
Chris Paul will go down as one of the best point guards in NBA history, but not even his greatness could match what Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are right now.
Between 1998 and 2012, the Golden State Warriors had zero all-stars, so they tried desperately to trade for one. Golden State general manager Bob Myers actually tried to trade Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris paul Chris Paul before the New Orleans Hornets traded him to the Clippers in 2011.
Ethan Strauss in “The Victory Machine:”
“the Warriors attempted to trade Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul in 2011. It was far from the only time Curry was shopped, but in this instance, the deal was very close to completion. Myers made the offer and Hornets GM Dell Demps was receptive. The catch was Chris Paul, who wanted out of New Orleans but had no intention of playing for the woebegone Warriors. Paul told the Warriors they could do this trade, but he wouldn’t be staying when his contract was up at season’s end.”
“The Hornets weren’t the only organization to narrowly lose out on the deal of a lifetime. According to one GM, “The Warriors were blind lucky that they were unsuccessful in trading Steph and Klay together for the stars they offered them together for,” he said. “There were many, many people they tried to get and failed.”
In 2011, Curry had yet to separate himself from Monta Ellis as the star guard and Klay had just been drafted and hadn’t begun his rookie season yet. Paul, however, was already a young superstar and wanted by just about every team in the league.
That failed trade worked out wonderfully for the Warriors who have gone on to win multiple championships, while watching Curry become the best shooter in NBA history and become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history.
