Jordan Poole signed a four-year, $128 million contract extension last summer after emerging as an integral player in the Golden State Warriors run to its fourth NBA championship in seven seasons.
After three years, Poole was tabbed as the future of the Warriors. He even was labeled as an extension of the Splash Brothers alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
However, all of that changed during a practice in training camp. Sparked by a spat, Poole got viciously punched by his teammate Draymond Green. While the two sides remained professional for the most part for the 2022-23 season, the dynamics and chemistry of the team got altered forever.
After Golden State got unceremoniously eliminated from the Western Conference Semifinals by the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors sought change. That change resorted in Poole getting traded with fellow youngsters Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul.
“We had to change something,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob admitted to the Mercury News. “While it’s a short-term move, Chris Paul is a fabulous Hall of Famer who will, I think, certainly help our second unit, help our first unit if he plays there, wherever he plays. He’s a tremendous guy.”
Lacob’s comments that something had to change echoed Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Kerr recently said that the team “needed a shift.”
Also, Lacob opened the door to Paul’s potential role. It sounds like Paul will come off the bench. It’s just that Kerr and the coaching staff have yet to lay out their blueprint for the 12-time All-Star point guard.
Nonetheless, the Wizards are elated about acquiring Poole. He’s 24 and hasn’t reached the top of his potential. Despite the ugly incident with Green, Poole averaged career highs of 20.4 points and 4.5 assists, playing in all 82 games.
His playoff performance left a lot to desire. And for whatever reason, the tension between Poole and the team boiled. A change was needed for the team and Poole. Washington is banking on his leadership learned in Golden State to the Wizards’ young roster.
There’s no doubt the punch by Draymond Green is why Jordan Poole is in Washington. The Warriors turned its attention to re-signing Green to a four-year extension, which made Poole getting traded necessary. But one team’s loss is the Wizards’ gain.
