Warriors’ Chris Paul to undergo surgery on fractured left hand
With a little over six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Paul missed a three-pointer from the right angle. As the shot caromed off the rim back toward him, Paul chased after the rebound, which was eventually controlled by Pistons guard Jaden Ivey.
Paul pulled back as Ivey secured the ball, but the players made contact and Paul immediately flexed and clutched his left hand. The 12-time all-star headed straight to the locker room and did not return, finishing with eight points and four assists in 24 minutes.
The future Hall of Famer has suffered multiple hand injuries during his 19-year career, including a broken right hand during the 2016 playoffs when he was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and a thumb injury that sidelined him for a month during the 2021-22 season when he played for the Phoenix Suns.
This latest injury comes at an inopportune time for the Warriors (17-18), who have been without forward Draymond Green since Dec. 12 following his indefinite suspension for delivering a blow to the head of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. Coach Steve Kerr also has faced questions about his rotations and game management in recent days; his team has blown several fourth-quarter leads and struggled to pull out wins in close games.
“I feel so bad for Chris,” Kerr said. “I know he’s had a couple of hand surgeries before, I believe. I saw him holding it and instantly was worried. … It’s going to be tough [without him]. Chris is an all-time great. He’s fit right into our team and made life so much easier, not only on [Stephen Curry], but he’s kind of captained that second unit, which has been a strong suit for us. We’re going to miss him in both lineups.”
In Paul’s absence, Kerr said he will turn to rookie Brandin Podziemski and veteran Cory Joseph, adding that Moses Moody, a 2021 lottery pick, should also get the opportunity for more minutes.
“You’re replacing 30 minutes from Chris,” Kerr said. “We won’t replace all of those minutes with one guy. We’ll probably spread them out. But I’m excited to get Moses back out there.”
With the Warriors clinging to the last spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament field despite a league-leading $208 million payroll, they are widely believed to be exploring all options in advance of the Feb. 8 trade deadline. The upcoming deadline is viewed as a potential crossroads for an organization that has won four titles since 2015; key veterans such as Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins have slumped while younger players such as Moody and Jonathan Kuminga have sought larger roles.
Paul, who is on the books for $30.8 million this season, was acquired from the Washington Wizards in a June trade for Jordan Poole and has averaged career lows of 8.9 points and 7.2 assists while alternating between the Warriors’ starting lineup and second unit. Because Paul’s $30 million salary for the 2024-25 season is not guaranteed, he could be an attractive trade target for a team looking to cut its future salary obligations.
