Earlier this NAB offseason, the Golden State Warriors traded shooting guard Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for point guard Chris Paul and details are starting to come out about why the Dubs parted ways with Poole.
According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the Warriors thought Poole, 24, was an “extraneous” and “inefficient” member of their roster.
“What’s clear to me after a few days of checking around is that this all began when the Warriors decided that Poole was an extraneous and inefficient member of their roster,” Kawakami wrote. “That was the precipitating issue. The Warriors wanted out of the $123 million deal they gave Poole only eight months earlier because his play last season didn’t meet that value, especially given their extreme luxury-tax pressures.
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Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors in October 2022. The extension kicks in next season. The Michigan product averaged a career-high 20.4 points for the Dubs this past season while shooting 43.0% from the field, 33.6% from beyond the arc and 87.0% from the free-throw line.
However, Poole wasn’t able to carry over his regular-season success to the 2023 postseason. In 13 playoff games versus the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, Poole averaged 10.3 points while shooting an inefficient 34.1% overall and 25.4% from 3-point range.
The Warriors, who won the championship last year over the Boston Celtics in six games, lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals this year in six games, with Poole averaging just 8.3 points in the LA series.
Golden State veteran Draymond Green punched Poole in the face before the 2022-23 season started. The video was leaked to the public and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said during his end-of-the-season press conference that the team never truly recovered from the punch.
With Poole gone and Paul in, the Warriors are now expected to start Paul, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Green.
