Klay Thompson believes his former Golden State Warriors teammate Jordan Poole will be an All-Star in Washington.
“Oh, he definitely got an All-Star potential,” Thompson told Paul George on the Aug. 7 episode of the Podcast P with Paul George. “You saw it when we made that finals run [in 2022], right? He averaged 18 [points] shooting 50/40/90. Like that’s hard to do.”
“So, I’m excited to watch him and [Kyle Kuzma]. Those are gonna be the swaggiest buckets ever. Now I’m excited for him. Washington got a good one.”
The Warriors dumped Poole’s $128 million, four-year contract to the Wizards in exchange for the expiring salary of 11-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul. As a sweetener, the Warriors added their top-20 protected first-round pick in 2030, a 2027 second-round draft selection, Ryan Rollins and cash considerations.
“It hurts to see Jordan go,” Thompson said. “That’s the nature of the beast.”
“He was homegrown. I saw him put the work and I saw him go to 15 and a game, but then he would be in the dungeon, which we call a private facility because there were no windows, getting shots up right after the game. I’m like, ‘Man, this kid is going to be special’ and we wouldn’t have won the championship without him like he was so important to us when Steph went down,” he added.
That alone deserves Poole to be “forever cherished in the Warriors lore,” according to Thompson.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. Says Jordan Poole-Chris Paul Trade Was an Easy Decision
New Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. revealed that the Warriors had an easy time pulling the trigger on the Jordan Poole trade that landed them a future Hall-of-Famer to add to their championship core.
“I always say for me the decision to (trade for) Chris was easy,” Dunleavy Jr. told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “I hated having to give up Jordan, who has been such a big part of what we’ve done the last few years. I was here when we drafted him. But in terms of basketball and moving forward, financial flexibility, all that stuff you factor in, it was a relatively easy decision for us.”
But more than Paul’s basketball acumen, the appeal of the trade on the Warriors is more on financial flexibility that allowed them to bring back Draymond Green to a four-year, $100 million deal and save on luxury tax moving forward.
Ex-Warriors Big Man Slams Chris Paul Trade
Former Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins slammed the Chris Paul trade, believing the 11-time All-Star point guard does not elevate their current roster.
“I’m gonna be honest,” Cousins told SiriusXM radio, “I didn’t understand the Chris Paul trade. Maybe it’s just the contract, free [Paul’s contract] off the books next year. But as far as it is about basketball, X’s and O’s on the court, I don’t see him elevating the Golden State Warriors, to be honest.”
“I didn’t understand the Chris Paul trade”
DeMarcus Cousins had some doubts regarding the Chris Paul trade to Golden State when he spoke with @termineradio and @jumpshot8 #DubNation
“I’m not taking away anything that Chris Paul has done throughout his career, but I’m just speaking about him on this stage of his career.”
Paul averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.5 steals last season in 59 games for the Phoenix Suns — still solid numbers especially for a 37-year-old player.
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Warriors’ Klay Thompson Has Bold Prediction About Jordan Poole After Trade