The Golden State Warriors made NBA headlines when they traded Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards prior to the start of free-agency, but NBA writer Mark Medina believes the move could turn out to be a ‘win-win’ for both the player and the five-time NBA champions.
NBA news – Jordan Poole
Jordan Poole finally got his fresh start in a new city after a tumultuous season overshadowed by an off-the-court incident in which the 6’4” guard was punched by his teammate, Draymond Green after a verbal altercation, as reported by TMZ Sports.
However, it appears the 33-year-old wasn’t the only teammate who had an issue with the 6’4” guard during his tenure with the Warriors.
The New York Post’s Belle Fraser recently reported that The Ringer’s Logan Murdock said on The Bill Simmons Podcast that some other senior players, including Klay Thompson, were not fans of Poole.
“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.
The 24-year-old was traded to the Washington Wizards in a trade package that saw 38-year-old Chris Paul join the Warriors’ backcourt in pursuit of his first NBA championship ring, with Poole on a $128 million, four-year contract.
What does Mark Medina think of the Jordan Poole trade?
Medina believes that the trade was a win-win for both the Warriors and the 24-year-old as it allowed the team to move on, and give Poole the chance for a fresh start in a new environment.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “I would say the thing with Jordan Poole is he did show some promising signs as a young player, and then this past year, a lot of different inconsistency, I don’t think because of the Warriors circumstances that he would have those kinds of opportunities that the Wizards are going to give him.”
“Part of that is just the reality that the Warriors have a lot of talent and experience on the roster, and the other part of the reality is just, he was just too inconsistent for the Warriors to absorb at this point.”
“With the Wizards’ different situation, they’re not completely tearing down the studs and rebuilding, but they are going through a transition with trading Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, so it’s just going to be a lot more time for him to get those reps and get those opportunities. “
“So this can actually be a win-win for both parties, the Warriors address what they needed to do, and I think Jordan Poole has a clean slate. He’s removed from the Draymond Green punch, and while he certainly doesn’t deserve any blame for that, like that was unacceptable, there’s no way around that it created a very awkward dynamic for everyone involved.”
How did Jordan Poole see out his tenure with the Warriors?
After inking an extension with Dub Nation in October 2022, it appeared to be a move in which the Warriors likely saw Poole as the long-term replacement for 35-year-old Stephen Curry due to showing glimpses of being an elite scorer, particularly from three-point range.
In the season prior to his extension, according to the NBA, Poole had a career-high 211 three-point field goals, which was good enough for 15th in the league, despite becoming the third scoring option after Klay Thompson’s return from injury midway through the 2021-22 season.
The 2022-23 regular season saw Poole step up his game yet again, putting up career-highs in points and assists with 20.4 PPG and 3.4 APG, respectively. He shot 43.0% from the field, and 33.6% from three. His rebounding remained relatively consistent, with him averaging 2.7 RPG in 30 minutes per game, per StatMuse.
The Michigan alum played all 82 games, but started only 43 of those, a dip on the season before where he started 51 games.
However, it was the playoffs where he was most disappointing as his minutes decreased to only 21.8 minutes, and he became virtually a non-factor in their playoff run, averaging only 10.3 points off of 34.1% from the field and 25.4% from three-point range in 21.8 minutes per game.
In what was his final game for the Warriors in their game 6 playoff loss to the L.A. Lakers, Poole played only 23 minutes, scoring seven points on 3-10 FG shooting, missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, and dished out four assists, per ESPN.
Now Poole has a fresh start where he becomes one of the leading faces of the Washington Wizards franchise alongside 2020 NBA champion Kyle Kuzma, where he could well show the league that he is an all-star level talent.
On the other hand, the Warriors look to Chris Paul as the answer to helping lead the aging team to the NBA finals for one last dance before their four-time championship-winning core’s window shuts down for good.