Getty Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.
It’s been an imperfect season for the Golden State Warriors thus far. At the start of the season, their subpar bench unit was the primary issue causing their struggles, but since then, Golden State has gotten hit with a major case of the injury bug.
Despite all of that, they still have a chance to get into the playoffs with a decent seed and make a run at a second championship. However, if they fail to do so, they could look to make serious changes this summer. According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, one of the changes Golden State could consider trading Jordan Poole in a blockbuster deal to land another star.
“Golden State won’t have the cap space to sign an impact player, but it could swing a major trade if needed,” Buckley wrote. “Is there a possibly available star who might be worth sacrificing Jonathan Kuminga and his sky-high potential? Do opposing teams think they can build an offense around Jordan Poole? If they do, his trade value would be enough to anchor a blockbuster.”
Poole has played well for the Warriors this season, but if they fail to compete effectively in the playoffs, trading him could be their best pathway toward significant improvement, especially if they want to make a run at another championship with the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
The young guard has taken on a larger role this year at times due to the injury to Curry. Poole has appeared in all 62 of the teams’ games this year and is playing 30.7 minutes per contest. He is averaging 20.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 43.2% shooting from the field and 32.9% shooting from behind the three-point line.
Stephen Curry Issues Challenge to Teammates
Golden State has always been more worried about the postseason than the regular season, but with how much they’ve struggled this year, getting into the playoffs is the first step. And that requires a hot stretch to end the regular season. Curry recently called on his team to treat every game like a playoff game.
“We have an understanding of what our potential is,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole on Wednesday. “But the principles and the focus of what that means on a nightly basis . . . it should feel like the playoffs every night because we’re not going to win many games if it doesn’t.”
Warriors Receive Andrew Wiggins Injury Update
Meanwhile, the Warriors should be looking to get their entire roster healthy, too. Andrew Wiggins has been out, but not because of an injury – for personal reasons. He’s currently listed as out indefinitely, and Warriors GM Bob Myers provided an update on Wiggins’ potential return during a recent appearance of Steiny & Guru of 95.7 The Game.
“I don’t think that’s what anybody is planning for,” Myers said when asked if Wiggins would miss a long portion of the rest of the season. “But we’ll leave that in its own place. That’s not the expectation. I think what you’re asking is – could he remain out for a long, long time? I don’t think that’s happening. I’m going to leave that alone. Hopefully, when he gets back, whatever words he would like to say on it, which I don’t think will be much since it’s his private life, he will do.”