Getty Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.
With their back against the wall, the Golden State Warriors couldn’t get the job done on Friday night, losing Game 6 to the Los Angeles Lakers. The blowout loss officially ended their season, as well as Steve Kerr’s unbeaten streak in the Western Conference playoffs.
Golden State’s younger players were inconsistent throughout the series, with the biggest culprit being Jordan Poole. When asked about Poole’s and the other young players’ performances, as well as whether or not he was disappointed, Stephen Curry kept it real. He also touched on their potential futures with the organization.
“Everybody’s going to get better. Everybody’s going to take the next step. Everybody’s going to learn the lessons that you learned this year and try to put them into use next year,” said Curry. “I don’t know what the opportunity is going to be. I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know what, sitting here right now, what Opening Night is going to look like in terms of who’s going to be asked to do what, but I have a lot of confidence in everybody being able to take advantage of the summer.”
Curry urged them to work on their games this summer but added that he has no idea what the team could look like at the beginning of next season.
“Add to your skill set. Add to your mental preparation for the year,” Curry said. “And the list of guys that kind of fall in that bucket, be ready to take those next steps because that’s the journey of your career that you’re always on. So, it’s just hard to say specifics right now about what it will look like because this league is crazy, and things can change really quickly.”
Warriors Hesitant to Trade Jordan Poole This Summer
While Poole struggled mightily throughout the playoffs, Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that the Warriors are somewhat hesitant to trade him this offseason.
“If cost-cutting is required, he profiles as the likeliest candidate,” they wrote of Poole. “Poole had a turbulent fourth season, beginning when he took the infamous preseason punch from [Draymond] Green during a training camp practice. Poole kept it professional in the aftermath and tensions cooled enough for the two to work together. But the relationship was never fully repaired and Poole’s struggles didn’t help the mood, culminating in a challenging playoffs that saw his efficiency plummet and minutes get reduced. There’s still hesitancy to move him. Poole averaged 20.4 points this season and has potent offensive capability that is lacking on the roster below Curry and will be needed as the core ages further. Is it wise to move off of that when his value is at its lowest in 12 months? Will the money crunch dictate it?”
Klay Thompson May Have to Take Pay Cut With Warriors
In addition, they also reported that if Klay Thompson were to re-up in Golden State, he would likely have to take a pay cut, just like Andrew Wiggins did last summer.
“Thompson is extension eligible this summer,” they wrote. “He’s making $43.2 million on the final year of his deal next season. If he’s to extend with the Warriors this summer, the expectation is he’d have to accept a paycut, as Andrew Wiggins did last summer.”
