Getty Jordan Poole's return to the Bay is big Warriors news on Friday. Steve Kerr says he hated Poole's departure.
For a while, Jordan Poole was the fulcrum of all Warriors news. Unfortunate to say, but he will forever be defined in his time with the Warriors by one incident—well, one punch, really. That came in training camp, when some trash talk between Poole and teammate Draymond Green got heated and Green went after Poole, landing a clean punch that caused Poole’s head to snap back as he crumpled to the floor. Just like that, trouble was afoot for Steve Kerr’s group.
Video of the incident leaked, and grasped the attention of the entire NBA world. The Warriors were criticized for seeming to care more about the leak than the assault on Poole. The team did its best to move on, but the punch lingered over the Warriors all season, clouding the defense of their incredible 2022 championship.
After the Warriors flamed out in the playoffs, losing in the second round, Golden State traded Jordan Poole to the Wizards in the deal that landed Chris Paul.
“I look back at that, and I hate that it happened,” Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I know that in my heart, that when (the punch) happened, we handled it the best way we thought we could handle it. But in hindsight — and hindsight is always 20/20 — we could have done better for sure.”
Steve Kerr: Trade was Unfortunate Warriors News
Kerr lamented the fact that the rise of Jordan Poole in the Warriors’ organization will be forever obscured by the downfall of Jordan Poole. He was a remarkable story, a surprising choice as the No. 28 pick in the 2019 NBA draft—most mock drafts had him going in the 40s—coming after the Warriors had just appeared in the Finals.
But Poole showed the scoring ability he had in college translated in the NBA, and he immediately showed promise with the Warriors. After he helped the Dubs to the championship in his third season, he was given a four-year, $128 million contract extension. Just weeks later, he took the punch from Green, a Warriors mainstay. Ultimately, it appeared that either Green had to go or Poole had to go.
So Poole was traded. It was unfortunate Warriors news for Kerr.
“I just hate the way it ended for Jordan here, because he is a huge success story,” Kerr told Slater. “For us and for him, this was a great marriage. He helped us win a title. We helped him, you know, become a champion and a guy who signed a big contract, life-changing contract. It was all wildly successful. But I hate the way it ended.”
Jordan Poole Grateful to Dubs
As for Poole, who will play the Warriors for the first time as an opponent on Friday night, things have been predictably mediocre in Washington. Poole has averaged 17.2 points, but he has not handled being the focal point of the offense well—he is shooting just 41.2% and 31.7% from the 3-point line. Both percentages are the worst since his rookie year.
And the rebuilding Wizards are 5-22. Still, Poole told Slater that his time with the Warriors, in addition to landing him a major contract, also helped harden him to the realities of the league. He’s grateful for that.
“I learned that I’m built for tougher,” Poole said. “I think that was pretty dope. Being at the highest level, you get just, like, so much media, so much of everything just being with that organization. It made me realize I was built for a lot tougher.”