Jordan Poole was never the most popular guy in the Warriors’ locker room, and following his trade, it seems the bad blood has not been erased.
The Ringer’s Logan Murdock joined “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on June 30 and said the dislike for Poole was pervasive to the point even the likes of Klay Thompson had grievances with the 24-year-old guard.
“All the established guys had some version of a problem with Jordan Poole, whether it was Klay ironically saying that Jordan doesn’t pass the ball enough and shoots too much,” Murdock said.
Poole was sent to the Washington Wizards on June 23 in a trade that landed Chris Paul, 38, in the Bay.
Some were surprised the Warriors shipped the 28th pick from the 2019 draft away, but rocky team dynamics and a poor postseason performance caused new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. to open a new chapter for Poole elsewhere.
Through 82 regular season games, Poole averaged 20.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
However, he couldn’t find his offensive firepower in the playoffs, averaging a low 10.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 13 games before Golden State was ousted in the second round by the LA Lakers.
Poole’s trade came just a week before Draymond Green inked a four-year, $100 million contract to keep the Warriors’ core intact.
The now ex-teammates had one of the more tumultuous relationships of the group, with Green punching Poole in the face during 2022 training camp.
“And then you have Draymond [Green], who sees Jordan as this guy is like, ‘yeah, I did punch him,’” Murdock said. “I did do all these things, but now I don’t have a voice within the locker room because of what happened.”
At the time, reports said tension had been building between Green and Poole and that Poole’s attitude allegedly changed on the verge of a hefty contract extension.
Fans think Green took one last departing shot at Poole after the trade to Washington.
In a Bleacher Report TikTok video, Green was tasked with creating an NBA roster with players from the team that popped up on the screen.
When the Wizards’ logo popped up, Green laughed, said “Who’s still on Washington’s team?” and proceeded to select Kyle Kuzma in his lineup instead of Poole.
Both will have a clean slate this season with Poole likely starting for Washington and Green refocusing for a deep run with Golden State.
