According to Marc J Spears, the Warriors are expected to start Chris Paul to start the season.
The Warriors traded Jordan Poole, a protected first-round pick, and other smaller assets for Chris Paul. The move was mainly seen as something that could give the Warriors financial flexibility going forward.
Assuming that Golden State keeps their other star players in the starting lineup, this would leave the squad with Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green. This would be an extremely small lineup. The team could decide to replace Kevin Looney with Wiggins/Green but it would still be a very small lineup.
If the Warriors start Chris Paul will it put the team at a disadvantage?
When the Warriors traded for Paul, they most likely did not see him within their long-term plans. Paul's contract is completely non-guaranteed for next season which basically makes him a giant expiring contract this season.
While a three-guard starting lineup might end up working, Golden State is probably best suited to end up trading the former All-NBA player for quality big men.
This could be something that the Warriors end up doing but they can't trade him until later on in the season due to the NBA CBA rules. While games are still a bit far off from actually tipping off, it's hard to see a world where a three-guard lineup works in 2023. Moving Paul to the bench to at least start the game is most likely the best way to make this fit work.
This would allow the Splash brothers to do their thing and Paul to command the second unit beautifully. Considering that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are more complimentary pieces to Steph Curry now than before, this would allow the core three to play together more often without concern for their bench scoring.
Whether the Warriors end up keeping Paul for the entire season or not, having him in the starting lineup will most likely not be the best option available. Still, it seems like the Warriors will end up trying this option.
