Chris Paul undergoes hand surgery, reportedly to miss 4-6 weeks

Chris Paul has undergone the expected surgery to repair his fractured left hand, which will sideline him for 4-6 weeks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. As Woj noted, this is the fifth surgery on Paul’s left hand (he’s had six on his right hand).

With the NBA about five weeks from the All-Star break, Paul’s return after that seems to be the most likely timeline.

The question is, will he return to the Warriors at that time? Golden State has tested the waters of a Chris Paul trade, because his $30 million contract for next season is non-guaranteed — making him essentially an expiring contract — which creates value for teams that want to keep their books clean. The Warriors could try to package Paul with a younger star (Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody) to land a big name such as Pascal Siakam, although that deal appears to be a long shot.

Paul’s fractured hand and return timeline don’t help his trade value, although if the other team sees him primarily as a contract then his return to play is less of a concern.

Paul fractured his hand against the Pistons, trying to grab an offensive rebound.

Paul has averaged 8.9 points and 7.2 assists a game this season, and the team is +8.9 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court. Rookie Brandin Podziemski and Moody will get more run with Paul out.