Getty Jordan Poole drives to the hoop in a game against the Chicago Bulls.
The Golden State Warriors have three untouchable players as the trade deadline nears, but one insider believes a young star in his breakout season could be close to off-limits as well.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Connor Letourneau broke down Golden State’s likely strategy heading into the trade deadline, saying that the veteran core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are “off limits” and another trio of players — Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and possibly Jonathan Kuminga — are in the next-highest tier. Letourneau noted that it would take some very unusual circumstances for the Warriors to consider trading one of those.
Warriors Building for Future
The Warriors are likely bound to continue on the path they have taken for the future, Letourneau noted. There were rumors last year that Golden State may look to package their pair of lottery picks along with rookie center James Wiseman to land an established star who could help fuel a title run with the return of Klay Thompson, but the Warriors opted against any big moves and instead used the picks to build for the future and the hopes of a long stretch of title contention.
Letourneau compared Golden State’s long-term plans to create an extended stretch of title contention from the San Antonio Spurs, and noted that Poole would be a pivotal part of this plan. That makes it highly unlikely he would ever be traded, especially given his age, Letourneau added.
Jordan Poole with the SAUCE
“That’s why the Warriors are unlikely to part with Poole for almost anyone. Even if Poole could be the centerpiece of a trade for someone like Bradley Beal, is that really a trade Golden State would make?” he wrote. “Beal is six years older. Barely old enough to buy a beer, Poole can spend the next several years as the Warriors’ sixth man, then move in as the full-time starter when Thompson declines in production or retires.”
Poole Moves Back Into Familiar Role
After bouncing between the G League and Golden State’s roster in the early part of last season, Poole ended the regular season on a tear and earned his way into the starting lineup to start this season. He has moved back to the bench with the return of Thompson, bringing a strong scoring touch off the bench. As CBS Sports noted, Poole had a strong three-game stretch as the sixth man since Thompson returned from a two-game absence for a knee injury, averaging 17.7 points, 4.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game.
Poole buys into his role. After the team’s 110-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, he praised the way the team gets contributions from a range of players, from the starting lineup to deeper down the bench.
“It shows the depth that we have on our team,” Poole said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “You come out and close the game against a really good team and having guys stepping up night in and night out. Just a testament to how talented we are. Just got to keep working.”
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