Draymond Green addresses his hatred for Chris Paul before Warriors trade

May 26, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half during game five of the 2022 western conference finals at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors made the surprising move of adding Chris Paul in the offseason. It was initially a tough reality for at least one of the team’s current stars to accept.

Warriors talisman Draymond Green had long viewed CP3 as a nemesis. The pair have played on opposing Western Conference powerhouses for over a decade up until they joined forces this summer.

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Green was asked how much he “despised” Paul prior to the trade. He was asked for a number on the scale of 1-to-10 for how much he hated Paul.

“Eleven! I hated him,” Green told Youngmisuk. “Eleven! But I think that’s also a sign of respect.

“We’ve kind of gotten over that hump now,” Green said of the idea that Paul is his new teammate. “But then there’ll be another hump of actually playing together that’ll take some getting used to. But I’m excited about it.”

Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. said that he had to speak to both Paul and the Warriors’ Big 3 of Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson prior to pulling the trigger on the deal. Dunleavy admitted that all four of them “had some pause” about the move but later on agreed that it could potentially “be great.”

The next step would be for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to figure out how to properly integrate Paul into the rotation. There has reportedly been a plan in place for CP3 to start the season. How it all plays out remains to be seen.