Jordan Poole ‘Excited’ Warriors Traded Him To Wizards

Jordan Poole was “excited” the Golden State Warriors traded him to the Washington Wizards, according to NBA insider Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

The Warriors handled the Poole-Chris Paul trade well and Poole is looking forward to playing with Kyle Kuzma on the Wizards. The Michigan product was ready to move on from Golden State after getting punched in the face by Draymond Green.

“Poole wouldn’t answer questions about how the altercation with Draymond Green at training camp last season impacted his own time with the Warriors,” Andrews wrote. “A source told ESPN that Golden State handled the trade well and that Poole was excited for his opportunity in D.C. While there are always emotions and a sense of shock following a trade, the source said, Poole is settling down and looking forward, not back.”

Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors in October 2022. The extension kicks in next season. The shooting guard averaged a career-high 20.4 points for the Dubs last season while shooting 43.0% from the field, 33.6% from beyond the arc and 87.0% from the free-throw line.

However, Poole wasn’t able to carry over his regular-season success to the 2023 postseason. In 13 playoff games versus the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, Poole averaged 10.3 points while shooting an inefficient 34.1% overall and 25.4% from 3-point range.

According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the Warriors thought Poole was an “extraneous” and “inefficient” member of their roster, which is they traded him to the Wizards for Paul.

“What’s clear to me after a few days of checking around is that this all began when the Warriors decided that Poole was an extraneous and inefficient member of their roster,” Kawakami wrote. “That was the precipitating issue. The Warriors wanted out of the $123 million deal they gave Poole only eight months earlier because his play last season didn’t meet that value, especially given their extreme luxury-tax pressures.”

Poole and Kuzma are the best players on the Wizards, while the Warriors will likely start Paul, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Green next season. It will be interesting to see if Poole and Green shake hands when Washington and Golden State face each other.