Getty Jordan Poole of the Warriors
One of the many bright spots that emerged for the Warriors this season was the performance of guard Jordan Poole, Golden State’s first-round pick in 2019. Poole is just 22 but, in the absence of Klay Thompson, was able to blossom, and continued to play well even after Thompson returned. In his third NBA season, Poole averaged 18.5 points, shooting 44.8% from the field and 36.4% from the 3-point line.
Poole is eligible for a contract extension this summer, and it has been long rumored that keeping him on board with a long-term deal will be a priority for Golden State—despite the fact that the Warriors will have to pay heavy NBA luxury tax fees to do so.
Speaking to Yahoo Sports this week, Warriors GM Bob Myers confirmed that it is the intention of the team to keep Poole in place and that the team won’t be concerned about the cost.
“I mean, thankfully [I] work for an ownership group in Joe [Lacob] that has committed all kinds of resources to winning. And I know that because every time I asked him about roster and strategy, it’s always winning,” Myers said, per Yahoo.
Poole, Warriors Expected to ‘Find a Number’
At most, Poole could get a max deal worth $190 million over five years. He won’t get that, but an offer in the range of four years and $80 million is more in the neighborhood. Poole has the option of passing on an extension, playing out next season (he is still under contract, with or without an extension) and becoming a restricted free agent in 2023.
That would not be a bad option for the Warriors, because they will be allowed to match any offer that Poole gets on the market. Very often, restricted free agents find their value on the market suppressed because other teams are reluctant to make offers they know will be matched.
However, most teams prefer not to do business that way because it can fray the relationship between the organization and the player—take DeAndre Ayton’s situation in Phoenix, for example. Thus, it’s expected that the Warriors will make a good-faith effort to give Poole a fair contract this offseason.
“They do not pinch pennies there,” one Western Conference GM told Heavy.com. “It would be hard to imagine them forcing Poole to go out and get an offer, there are not a lot of teams that operate like that, not unless there is a genuine disagreement on value. They’ll be able to find a number that makes everyone happy there.”
Poole Making His First Finals Appearance
For his part, as Poole begins his first go-round on an NBA Finals team, the sentiment about staying with the Warriors seems to be mutual. He began his career with a 15-win Golden State team that improved enough to get into the play-in tournament last season and, now, all the way to the championship round.
All along, Poole said, he felt there was something different about the Warriors as an organization.
“I think something that stood out from my first year was that even though we didn’t win that many games, there was still championship coaching and championship DNA every single day we came in to work, came into practice,” he said on Wednesday. “It was just about building for the future, continuing to better ourselves, put ourselves in the situation because we knew the opportunity would come where we’d be at the highest stage.
“To see it come full circle is pretty cool.”