Getty Steve Kerr, Warriors
As the Warriors gear up for the start of their 2022 NBA training camp, which will include a preseason trip to Tokyo next week, head coach Steve Kerr has been making the rounds with the league’s media. And in an appearance on the Real Ones podcast over at The Ringer, Kerr addressed a topic that could be key to how the team comes along in the near and long-term future: the development of fourth-year guard Jordan Poole.
Poole, entering his fourth season, had a breakthrough last year, at least on the offensive end. He averaged 18.5 points and 4.0 assists, making 44.8% of his shots and 36.4% of his 3-pointers. He also shot a league-best 92.5% from the free-throw line, establishing career highs in all those categories.
But, Kerr said, he has a long way to go in one respect: his defense. And that will be a message the team hopes to hammer home with Poole all season.
The guy who replaced Poole in the starting lineup last year, Klay Thompson, is one of the better two-way guards in the NBA, and Kerr wants Poole to follow in his footsteps.
“Jordan Poole took a leap last year and became a really high-level player,” Kerr said. “His next step is to become a better two-way guy. He’s a really dynamic offensive player. He’s much stronger and more athletic than I think people realize, even maybe more than he realizes. So, can he become a two-way guy like Klay Thompson? That’s his next step.”
Paying Jordan Poole Remains an Issue for the Warriors
Of course, one of the overarching issues for the Warriors heading into the season is on the financial side, where Poole is up for an extension and Golden State is looking at long-term contract possibilities for Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. All three can be free agents next summer.
Poole is of the most pressing importance in the short-term, though. There is a deadline of October 17 for the Warriors and Poole to negotiate an extension, and if one is not reached, he will be bound for restricted free agency next summer. It’s important to note that even if he becomes a restricted free agent, the Warriors can still match any offer he receives.
Given the recent four-year, $107 million extension ($120 million with incentives) the Knicks gave to guard R.J. Barrett, considered a comparable player to Poole, the expectation is that a new deal for Poole would land in the same range. But will the Warriors want to pay out that much for a guy who will likely remain a sixth man as long as Thompson and Wiggins are in town?
Myers: Poole Deal to Be Discussed Next Month
General manager Bob Myers addressed Poole’s situation during his media availability, saying that he has not sat down to negotiate a new deal for Poole yet, and that he anticipated doing so early next month.
“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,” Myers said. “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.”
Myers, who is a former NBA agent himself, said that players tend to handle these negotiations differently—some will take the security of a good payday when it is presented, others will want to go out and have a great fourth season, forcing the team to pay more the following summer.
“I’ve been on the side whereas an agent, I would sit with you and say, you want to take had $100 million or do you want to play it out?” Myers said. “Hard for us to imagine that decision but some players will say, I honestly don’t think that will go well for me and I don’t want to play with that over my head. And some will have the ultimate confidence to say, that means nothing to me, and I want to hold out for what I think might be a bigger payday.
“It depends. It’s personal. If the money is close, you know, if you get it close to where guys want it to be, they usually take it in my — having been on this side and that side.”