Getty Golden State Warriors wing Jordan Poole celebrates during Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
In the immediate aftermath of the Golden State Warriors‘ title-clinching win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins shared a moment for the ages. As they reveled in becoming world champions, both men came to a sudden realization about their financial futures.
“We about to get a bag!” they exclaimed in unison during an Instagram Live stream.
Although Wiggins is the vet of the pair, Poole might be the one to get that bag first. Both players are up for extensions, but Poole and the Dubs have a hard deadline of October 17 to come to some sort of an agreement. Otherwise, the 23-year-old will become a restricted free agent next summer.
Whether or not something will get done remains to be seen. In the meantime, another member of Poole’s draft class just got a monster extension of their own, a development that may have set the market for the baller.
Heat Super-Sub Herro Gets the Big Bucks
As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Sunday, the Miami Heat and Tyler Herro — the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year — have come to terms on a contract extension worth a whopping $120 million guaranteed (plus $10 million in incentives) over four years.
Herro’s agents Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman provided the details on the new deal.
The idea that Poole could be in-line for a similar deal was near unthinkable just 18 months ago when he was doing time in the G League bubble. Now, though, the Michigan alum is fresh off a campaign that saw him average 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds per contest with shooting splits of 45-36-93.
He played a key role during the team’s playoff run, too.
So, it’s at least conceivable that Poole could hit up the Dubs for a similar premium, tax-stricken though they may be. And, if his Instagram story — which was just updated with a screenshot of Wojnarowski’s Herro report — is any indication, that’s exactly what he intends to do.
Earlier this summer, another member of the 2019 draft class in Poole’s tier — New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett — locked down a four-year, $107 million contract.
Poole, Warriors to Talk Extension in the Coming Days
Late last month, Warriors president Bob Myers revealed that the team and Poole’s reps would get down to business on a possible extension following the Japan games.
“We are going to meet with his representatives I think after Tokyo and sit down for the first time and start having that conversation, and I think that’s about two weeks out from the deadline for him,” said Myers.
“Where that will go, I don’t know. I know that they want to meet and I know we want to meet, and then we’ll see what the next two weeks give us.”
Realistically, though, even if the Warriors are in agreement with Poole about him deserving the proverbial bag, the looming negotiations with Wiggins and, later, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, could throw a wrench into the works. That said, Myers believes that both sides prefer a continued partnership. So there’s that.