The Warriors May Have A Big Problem With This Player
Updated: Jun 28, 2023
The Warriors have a cunning front office. They have pulled off fantastic trades in the past for example Andrew Wiggins and developed him well. The Warriors have built their dynasty off of savvy drafting, developing, and retaining their talent. Will this contract extension end their championship run?
Jordan Poole’s Inconsistency Is A Problem For The Warriors
In the 2022 playoff stretch, it seemed like the Warriors just pulled off another heist when a late first-round pick in Jordan Poole started to break out. For the playoffs as a whole in 2022 Jordan Poole averaged 17 points per game on 51 percent from the field and 39% from three.
Poole looked like a future star awaiting. After the finals, the Warriors paid Jordan Poole by giving him a four-year deal worth $128 million. While this was a large deal, it seemed worthy. Poole was young and just came off of an entire playoff run where he shot a 51/39 clip. Poole still had more upside as well. However, this deal may cost the Warriors in the future.
In the first year of his deal, he is averaging 20 points. At face value, this may seem like a healthy leap, but Poole’s lack of efficiency is alarming, and he does have a tendency to take bad shots in important situations. Poole is averaging 43% from the field and 33% from three. While his points per game have increased, he has regressed as a player. His overall efficiency has dropped significantly, and he is inconsistent. Poole also gets targeted on defense making him a solely one-way player.
With Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both wanting max contracts, could the Warriors look to trade Jordan Poole? Poole is only 23 years old and has a lot of upsides. He should be on a team where he can get more opportunities to develop. The Warriors don’t seem to be a great fit for Poole, and while the Warriors are all about developing young talent, it can cost them in the short term. This is an important decision Golden State needs to make. Will they sacrifice the last few years of Steph Curry’s prime to maintain a good future, or will they think they will never find a Curry-level talent and go all-out?
Even if Golden State values young talent, it is possible to find a player who is still relatively young but is a veteran who can consistently contribute. Kristaps Porzingis has been a name that has been floated. Porzingis for Poole and a first-round pick could be something that entices both sides, but it is unclear how to open the Warriors would be to trading Poole. But one thing for certain is that they will have to part with some talent in the next season or two, could Poole be one of them?
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