Warriors' Jordan Poole Could Be Trade Target for Wizards

Getty Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.

It’s been a bit of a wild year for Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole. After signing a 4-year $128 million contract extension last summer, Poole has had an inconsistent season for the Dubs. Some have traced his sporadic play back to the incident where Draymond Green was recorded punching the 23-year-old in the face, during a preseason practice.

Poole’s extension is set to kick in next season, meaning he’ll be taking up a significantly larger portion of Golden State’s cap. Should the team decide that they want to move off of that big contract, then the Washington Wizards may be interested, according to “Bleacher Report’s” Grant Hughes.

Hughes listed the former Michigan-standout as a prime offseason trade target for the Wizards, in an article published on April 13.

“Jordan Poole turns the ball over a ton and can’t be relied upon defensively, but he’s a high-wire bucket-getter who could pull significant attention away from Washington’s other options. Whether blowing by his man and getting into the lane, pulling defenders out on the floor to cover his deep three-point tries or causing miscommunications with his Stephen Curry-lite off-ball sprints, Poole could inject a level of offensive dynamism the Wizards have been missing from their point guards. With his four-year, $128 million extension kicking in for 2023-24, Washington would have to send out significant matching salary to get a deal done. And if the Warriors make another deep playoff run in which Poole features prominently, this might never move beyond the hypothetical realm. But Golden State players have been visibly frustrated by (but also outwardly supportive of) Poole’s play this year, and there’s still the whole preseason punch cloud hanging over the organization. If Washington offered up [Deni] Avdija, [Monte] Morris and [Delon] Wright, it might at least catch the attention of a Warriors team that is primed to lose Donte DiVincenzo, JaMychal Green and possibly even Draymond Green in free agency.”

Steve Kerr Praises Warriors’ Jordan Poole for Playing All 82

Though Poole’s efficiency hasn’t been consistent, his attendance has been. It really doesn’t sound like the greatest compliment to essentially say, ‘yeah, well he showed up, that’s for sure!’ But it’s rare in today’s NBA for players to appear in every single regular-season game.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently commended Poole and Kevon Looney for doing so this year.

“It’s been a rough year in a lot of ways, and they should feel really proud for making it through and fighting through a lot of adversity to get here,” Kerr said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I also singled out Loon and JP for playing all 82. It’s so difficult to play 82 games in an NBA season with all the bumps and bruises and the various forms of adversity that hit you individually. So, for Jordan and Loon to be there for us every night was just hugely valuable.”

Steve Kerr Discusses Warriors’ Klay Thompson’s Historic Achievement

Kerr also had some praise for Klay Thompson, who became just the third player to ever surpass 300 made-threes in a single season, in Sunday’s finale against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Yeah I pulled Klay aside two minutes before the game and I said ‘I know you’re five [threes] away, but just let it happen. You don’t need to chase anything, especially early in the game. Just get off the ball and let it happen in the flow,’” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s like ‘okay, no problem coach.’ And then he made five threes in the first five minutes. So, that’s Klay. But, they were really good shots, that was the main thing. Even though he went out launching, they were great shots. It wasn’t like he was taking bad ones. It was really good for him to get that mark. I told him after the game just how proud I was of him, for what he’s been through, to go through those two devastating injuries and fight his way back, win a championship last year and then have a great season this year. A complete season, playing back-to-backs by the end of the year. It’s really a remarkable story, a testament to Klay and his fortitude and love for the game. I couldn’t be happier for Klay.”