Chris Paul's career trades timeline

Point guard Chris Paul has been dealt to the Golden State Warriors, just weeks after he was traded to the Washington Wizards in the Bradley Beal trade. This isn’t the first time Paul, a 12-time All-Star and All-NBA performer, has been moved in the offseason.

Below is a look at each of the trades involving Paul in his career.

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Paul traded to Clippers (2011)

Clippers receive:

• Chris Paul
• Cash considerations
• 2015 second-round pick (Arturas Gudatis later selected)

Hornets receive:

• Al-Farouq Aminu
• Eric Gordon
• Chris Kaman
• 2012 first-round pick (Austin Rivers later selected)

The buzz: Paul was dealt from the only NBA team he had known, the New Orleans Hornets, in a trade leading up to the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. At the time, Paul was a three-time All-NBA player who had also made four All-Star teams. Additionally, he was a two-time All-Defensive selection and had led the Hornets to the playoffs three times.

In L.A., Paul would team with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to form the “Lob City” Clippers that delighted fans with their aerial finishes and explosive plays. While the Clippers made the playoffs every season with Paul at the helm, they never advanced beyond the Western Conference semifinals during his five seasons with the team.

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Paul traded to Rockets (2017)

Rockets receive:

• Chris Paul

Clippers receive: 

• Patrick Beverley
• Sam Dekker
• Montrezl Harrell
• Darrun Hillard
• DeAndre Liggins
• Lou Williams
• Kyle Wiltjer
• Cash considerations
• 2018 first-round pick (Omari Spellman later selected)

The buzz: The Rockets were looking to add some additional star power to their backcourt and found it in Paul, who would team with resident star James Harden in Houston. At the time, Paul was a nine-time All-Star who had averaged 18.7 points, 9.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals over his 12-year career. In Houston, the hope was Paul and Harden could power the Rockets to their first NBA Finals since 1995 … and they nearly did.

The Rockets built a 3-2 series lead against the defending-champion Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference Finals. But Paul injured his right hamstring in Game 5 of that series and missed the next two games. Game 7 was in Houston, but the Rockets went cold from 3-point range and lost the game. A season later, Paul was on the move again.

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Paul traded to Thunder (2019)

Thunder receive:

• Chris Paul
• 2021 first-round pick swap
• 2024 first-round pick
• 2025 first-round pick swap
• 2026 first-round pick

Rockets receive:

• Russell Westbrook

The buzz: Houston remade its backcourt again in the offseason, this time moving on from Paul and bringing in former Kia MVP Russell Westbrook to play alongside Harden. For Paul, the move to Oklahoma City — which seemed to be starting on a rebuild after dealing Paul George six days earlier — may have looked like a step back, team-wise.

However, Paul was key to OKC finishing with a surprising 44-28 mark in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. Additionally, he served as a veteran mentor for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (whom the Thunder acquired in the George trade) and others on the team. Paul’s time in OKC would last just this season as the Thunder continued their rebuild and dealt Paul to another West team.

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Paul traded to Suns (2020)

Suns receive:

• Chris Paul
• Abdel Nader

Thunder receive: 

• Ty Jerome
• Jalen Lecque
• Kelly Oubre Jr.
• Ricky Rubio
• 2022 first-round pick (Peyton Watson)

The buzz: For Paul, the fourth trade was the charm — in terms of making it to the NBA Finals at last. Phoenix had delivered a solid showing during the 2020 restart bubble in Orlando and was looking to make a next step forward for the 2020-21 season.

Enter Paul, who teamed with All-Star guard Devin Booker, talented big man Deandre Ayton and a deep cast of role players. The Suns went 51-21, finishing with the No. 2 mark in the West, but Paul was at his best in the playoffs. He delivered in Game 6 of the West Finals to send Phoenix to its first Finals since 1993. Despite building a 2-0 lead in the series, though, Paul and the Suns couldn’t overtake the Milwaukee Bucks and lost the series in Game 6.

The following season was outstanding for Phoenix as it went 64-18 and was the No. 1 overall seed for the 2022 playoffs. That meant little, though, in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals as Phoenix was blasted by 33 points behind the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks. Phoenix took a decided step back (45-37) in 2022-23 and reached the West semis, falling to eventual-champion Denver in six games.

Roughly a week or so after the Nuggets clinched their title, news broke of Paul being dealt to the Wizards. Days later, he was reportedly headed to Golden State, where he is set to team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and coach Steve Kerr.