Getty Jordan Poole reacts to a play in a Golden State Warriors game.
The Golden State Warriors have just one more week to make a long-term decision on the future of breakout star Jordan Poole, but Steve Kerr may have already tipped the team’s hand.
The Warriors have until October 17 to sign Poole to a rookie-level extension, or else he will become a restricted free agent for the 2023-24 season. While there are reports that the team has been in discussion with Poole’s camp about a deal, some insiders believe that the Warriors may be inclined to wait one more season to see if the 23-year-old guard could maintain the high level of play from his breakout campaign last season.
But Kerr revealed that this strategy could be out the window as the Warriors look to lock down Poole within the next week.
Warriors Want Poole
Kerr offered some praise for Poole after the team’s 124-121 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game on Sunday. Poole led the Warriors with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, adding four rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.
In lauding Poole’s performance, Kerr also shared that the guard was potentially close to signing an extension.
Steve Kerr on Jordan Poole: “There’s a reason he’s in this position, about to sign a big extension hopefully. He’s tough. Mentally tough and physically tough.”
“There’s a reason he’s in this position, about to sign a big extension hopefully,” Kerr said. “He’s tough. Mentally tough and physically tough.”
Because the Warriors already face a huge luxury tax bill and will need to make decisions on extensions for other core players, many insiders believed that the team would have passed on the rookie extension and revisited Poole’s future after this season. In July, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II predicted that the Warriors might be willing to wait until next summer and match any contract offer that Poole receives from another team.
“But the Warriors appear intent on maintaining flexibility as they continue to search for ways to suppress their future tax bills,” they wrote. “They can wait an extra summer on Poole, reassess their roster and priorities, while ultimately being able to match any contract he finds.”
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer also added in July that the Warriors would be comfortable waiting until next season, believing that the team could end up paying a smaller price than they would this October.
“Strategically, Golden State has every financial incentive to let Poole play his fourth year without a new deal framework,” he wrote, adding, “… And if he repeats, or even improves upon, his sizzling production in 2022-23, the Warriors likely won’t blink an eye at rewarding Poole with a maximum deal, solidifying the franchise’s bridge into a post-Steph Curry era.”
Controversial Incident May Have Accelerated Warriors’ Plans
The Warriors may feel a greater sense of urgency with Poole after a controversial incident in practice last week. A leaked video showed veteran big man Draymond Green punching Poole in the face during a confrontation, leading to a public apology from Green.
goodness, Jordan Poole.
too smooth on NBA TV.
The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami speculated that the incident could force the Warriors into a corner with Poole and into a one-stays-one-goes decision between him and Green. If that’s the case, the Warriors would be likely to pick Poole, who is seen as a linchpin of plans to build a title-contending team beyond the immediate horizon.
“If [Poole] doesn’t want to play with Draymond any longer than is necessary, the Warriors will probably have to consider if they need to end their relationship with Draymond, one of their foundational players and personalities,” he wrote. “If Poole does want to stay here after the punch, the Warriors almost have to offer him $30 million a year, which is more than they wanted to pay and would trigger future serious salary offloads, probably involving major veterans. You don’t have to search far in this story to figure out which vet might be the leading candidate for this.”