A former NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors wants to return to the team and the city, which he calls “home.”
New Orleans Pelicans guard and 2022 NBA champion Jordan Poole admitted he would consider returning to the Golden State Warriors.
Following the Pelicans’ 138-87 loss to the Warriors at Chase Center, Poole was asked in the locker room if he would return to Golden State. He replied, “Yes,” adding that playing in the Bay Area still feels like “home”.
“I mean, it just feels like home though, you know? Driving into the f***ing arena, crossing the Bay Bridge or wherever you’re coming from, it definitely feels natural,” Poole said.
“And I think it’s pretty evident that the way I play is very fitting to how I used to play here. Nothing’s changed, other than the systems that I’m in,” he added.
Drafted 28th overall by Golden State in 2019, Poole spent his first four seasons with the franchise and played a pivotal role in winning the 2022 NBA championship against the Boston Celtics before being traded to the Washington Wizards in July 2023.
Warriors Could Sign Jordan Poole Next Season
Poole is in the final year of his current deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
He pointed it out while looking back to his championship run with the Warriors as a sixth man behind the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins.
“We won a championship. So it works … to answer your question, definitely. This is my last year on the deal. I’m a free agent at the end of the season, so you never really know what’s going to happen.”
Jordan Poole Shares Moment With Warriors Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg
Pelicans guard Jordan Poole linked up with Warriors rookie sensation Yaxel Lendeborg for a postgame jersey swap.
The two shared a warm moment on the sideline, celebrating their shared roots as former University of Michigan standouts drafted in the first round by Golden State with Poole in 2019 and Lendeborg at No. 11 overall in 2026.
While Lendeborg shined in the blowout with 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, Poole struggled in his return to the Bay Area with seven points in 34 minutes, though he praised Lendeborg afterward as a “phenomenal player” and “phenomenal person” with a similar personality.
Lendeborg then got honest about meeting Poole, whom he said has the same personality as him.
“It was amazing. I’ve always wanted to meet him since I went to Michigan,” the 24-year-old rookie Lendeborg said. “He seems like a guy that pretty much has the same kind of personality and character as me. It was great to meet him.”
The two can realistically be teammates next season if the Warriors decide to sign Poole when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
For now, the Warriors must continue their impressive stretch, winning the last eight games after losing their first three in the regular season.
Meanwhile, Poole should continue to be a solid offensive cog for the Pelicans to keep himself in the interests of the Warriors ahead of the free agency next year.
Ex-NBA Champion Wants To Return To The Warriors, Calls Golden State ‘Home’