The Golden State Warriors' champion back-court pair, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, believe that the arrival of Chris Paul will improve the team's strength.

Earlier in June, the Warriors traded Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, a protected 2030 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Paul. The "Splash Brothers" and Paul had quite a history with Paul when he played for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Houston Rockets.

"Any time you get to play with a player who is one of the best of your generation it's an honor," Thompson told The Athletic. "It's a little weird because we've had so many battles in the past with Chris, and he's led so many teams that nearly knocked us off or did knock us off all the way back in 2014. I think he's just going to add such a calming presence and leadership component that we need. I know Steph and him have a long history together being both from North Carolina. For me, it's going to be a smooth transition playing with such a passer and playmaker, I'm just excited."

The Clippers, led by Paul, knocked out the Warriors in the Western Conference first-round playoffs in 2014. Then in 2018 and 2019, he was with the Rockets that played two tense series against the Warriors and lost both. In three series, Paul and Curry faced each other on a lot of possessions.

"The business is crazy. We all know that. If you asked us six months ago if this was something that could happen, the answer probably would’ve been no just based on where we were," Curry said. "Then you get to the summer and are trying to find ways to get better and put yourself in a position to chase another championship. Every team that CP has been on gets better. That's the most consistent thing about him, and who he is and what he brings to the team. Everybody's going to talk about the age. It's on us to put that all together and figure out how all the pieces work."

Paul, 38, has not been in his best form in the past two seasons given his age and injuries, but he can still be of great help to the Warriors as a bench unit playmaker and a locker room leader. That's why the team is willing to give up Poole, a young guard they drafted and spent four years helping raise.

"You hate losing JP. I know it's not all the way official yet," Curry told The Athletic. "So I don't want to talk too much before it is. But that's the tough part of the business, seeing a young guy come into his own (and then get traded). It's a great opportunity for him. It's just you get to know someone like that, build a friendship, build a bond. It's tough to see him go. But, you know, we're trying to win next year and CP can help us do that."

The Paul-Poole trade raised a lot of eyebrows and it's the first major move by general manager Mike Dunleavy, who took over from Bob Myers after the 2022-23 season. The Warriors struggled during the campaign partly because they were trying to both compete for the title and help the young generation grow. In the end, the failed on both fronts. Poole, who performed poorly in most of the games he appeared in, even became locker room trouble.

Therefore, what Dunleavy did was decisive and key to the Warriors' future. They now have a clear goal, which is to assemble a competitive squad around Curry. If the team wants, they are able to release a lot of salary space in summer 2024, not only to sign star players, but also to avoid increasingly terrifying luxury tax.

"Well, I love Mike Dunleavy. I grew up watching Mike play in Portland at Jesuit High School. For him to be a McDonald's (All-American) and then go to Duke and then go to the league, was a huge deal for Oregon. We didn't have a lot of guys doing that. Now to be working with him, it's crazy. The world's so small. Especially in the world of basketball. Now, he's technically my boss after he was kind of a big brother growing up, going over to his house, having him throw us in the pool and that junk. Now working with him is crazy. I know Mike will do great things," Thompson said.

Curry spoke highly of Dunleavy as well. "Transition is always hard. Change is hard. Especially in this league with so much at stake. But I've loved the conversations I've had with him so far, how committed and the conviction he's had with the ideas. Now it's about going and executing it. That will reveal itself over time in how we put it together for the big picture, chasing a championship now and trying to win now and the decisions that come down the road," he said.