Jordan Poole’s once-invigorating Warriors tenure ends in precipitous, frustrating fall from grace
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On Monday, newly appointed Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. sat next to owner Joe Lacob in front of the assembled media and pronounced, unequivocally, that they intended to keep Jordan Poole with the organization “for four more years at least.”
On Thursday, Poole was traded to the Washington Wizards.
The swap for aging point guard Chris Paul brings an ignominious end to what was once an invigorating and promising Jordan Poole era in the Bay, one in which the brash, plucky guard was expected to bridge the gap from the Steph Curry-Klay Thompson-Draymond Green dynasty to the next iteration of championship contender.
For a player who performs with such swashbuckling joy, Poole’s final year with the Warriors was marked by deflating disappointment, tangible frustration and an unabating dark cloud that surfaced before the 2022-23 season even began.
In their exit interviews, multiple Warriors, including head coach Steve Kerr, acknowledged that Green punching Poole during training camp — along with the ensuing leak of the video — negatively affected a subpar season in which the Warriors followed up a championship season with a 44-38 record and second-round exit in the Western Conference playoffs.
“There’s no hiding from it, the incident with Draymond and Jordan at the beginning of the year played a role in that. It’s hard for that not to impact a team,” Kerr said last month. “We have a way of doing things that we’re very proud of, but those things were definitely challenged this year. Anytime some trust is lost, then it makes the process much more difficult, and there was some trust lost. That’s as blunt as I can be.”
For an organization that’s had a poor return on its first-round draft picks over the past seven years (Damian Jones, Jacob Evans and James Wiseman, for example), Poole was a beaming success story, having worked his way from the G League to a breakout, dynamic scorer and playmaker. In the final 20 games of the 2021-22 season, Poole averaged 25.4 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds on 48/43/92 shooting splits, then put up 17 points and 3.8 assists on 51/39/92 shooting in 28 minutes per game in his first-ever playoff appearance, helping to lift Golden State to its fourth title in eight seasons.
That pleased the front office, then led by longtime executive Bob Myers, enough to offer Poole a four-year extension last summer worth up to $140 million with incentives. The 28th overall pick who had endeared himself to fans as a potential “third Splash Brother” and driving force behind the “Poole Party” lineup was now officially a necessary cog in the Warriors machine.
“It’s been quite a journey over these four years,” Poole said in October of his extension. “Being able just to win a ring and play with so many great guys and learn as much as I have. And just to be able to be locked in for the next five [years] with the rest of my teammates … it’s exciting.”
But that $140 million figure — the one that epitomized all of Poole’s hard work and success — quickly metamorphosed into a foreboding albatross. Despite his scoring average increasing to over 20 points per game, Poole saw significant declines in field goal percentage (43%) and 3-point percentage (34%), accompanied by more turnovers. With a full season of game film to analyze, defenses attacked Poole in different ways, and he searched futilely for a consistent, meaningful adjustment.
Things got even uglier during the playoffs, when he verged on unplayable against both the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, as his minutes became sporadic and ineffective. In 13 playoff games, Poole averaged 10.3 points and 3.5 assists on horrendous 34/25/77 shooting splits. The Warriors’ net rating was five points worse with him on the floor, as his appearances became increasingly cringeworthy.
Normally energetic and loquacious, Poole’s demeanor became stoic and borderline morose during the postseason. After a Game 4 loss to the Lakers in which he played only 10 minutes, Poole stood with his back to reporters and gave terse answers to questions he clearly didn’t want to field.
“My work ethic doesn’t change, my routine doesn’t change,” Poole said. “Maybe opportunity changes, but you can only control what you can control.”
The frustration was clearly boiling on both sides, and the trade rumors went from hot to sweltering following Golden State’s postseason elimination. Now, Poole won’t get the chance for a bounce-back season with Golden State –instead he’ll set his sights on a fresh start with the Wizards, where he should get all the opportunity he desires.
But still, there has to be a bitter taste left in Poole’s mouth after a precipitous fall from a rising Warriors star to an exiled failure. Just 24 years old, Poole was traded — along with a first-round draft pick — for Paul, a 38-year-old point guard with significant injury history.
Fans like to believe that because professional athletes get paid exorbitant sums of money, they’re precluded from feeling hurt or sad. Poole will still receive his paychecks, to be sure, but it’s always painful to feel unwanted, and he’ll have to wonder what could have been were it not for the punch from Green, a season of adjustments, and one dreadful playoff performance.
There’s a Bible verse that Poole mentioned among his first public comments following the incident with Green. It’s John 13:7, which, in Poole’s interpretation, says, “You do not understand what I’m doing now, but someday you will.”
Safe to assume that Poole is seeking comfort in those words as he packs his bags for Washington.