The Golden State Warriors sent shockwaves around the league hours before the 2023 NBA Draft when they sent Jordan Poole and a bunch of assets to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul. This trade signifies that the Warriors are going all-in on winning a championship next season, as they traded away a player many once thought was going to be a significant part of their post-Stephen Curry future.

It's fair to wonder, however, if this is the best Poole trade the Warriors could have made. (The trade cost them Patrick Baldwin Jr., their 2022 first-round pick, as well.) After all, Paul, despite being one of the best point guards in the history of the NBA, is already 38 years of age. In the end, however, it seems like the Warriors had options when it comes to where they could have traded away the 24-year old combo guard.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Warriors had preliminary conversations with the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics regarding a potential Jordan Poole trade, although it doesn't seem like those talks got very far. Fischer added that the Spurs “never made a significant offer” while the Celtics just weighed their options before dealing away Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis.

The Spurs may not have had the assets anyway to swing a trade that would have piqued the Warriors' interest. Will a package of Zach Collins and Doug McDermott (or maybe Devonte' Graham) have been enough for Jordan Poole? Probably not. (The Spurs certainly would not have offered Keldon Johnson or Devin Vassell.)

As for the Celtics, trading for another guard prior to the Marcus Smart trade may not have been the best use of resources, as they still have Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon (injury problems notwithstanding) holding down the fort at the position.

Whatever the case may be, losing Jordan Poole in this way will be a bitter pill to swallow for Warriors fans. It may create some cap relief in the end, but doing so at the expense of everything they gave up to the Wizards? That is far from the ideal scenario.