While Chris Paul has not been an impactful addition to the Golden State Warriors this season, Thursday confirmed the team still won the trade that landed him and sent Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards.
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Two seasons again it seemed like the Warriors had found and developed the next big star that would be the heir apparent to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. In 2021-22 Jordan Poole averaged 18.5 points off the bench and played a huge role in their championship run that season. It’s why the team rewarded him with a four-year, $128 million deal two summers ago.
However, 2022-23 was a disaster. It all started when he was assaulted by teammate and locker room leader Draymond Green, and the career-best 20.4 points he averaged came with a lot of missed shots. It made him expendable and he ended up being traded to Washington for oft-injured greybeard Chris Paul. Most felt the Wizards won the deal because of Poole’s immense potential at just 24 years old.
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Golden State Warriors avoided a disastrous season from Jordan Poole
Well, things have not gone well for the former first-round pick in DC and Thursday night brought an all-new low. Before the Wizards’ game against the Nuggets, interim head coach Brian Keefe revealed that for the first time this season, Poole was being demoted and would come off the bench for tonight’s game.
While it could be argued that maybe Poole is better off the bench like he was in Golden State, he is being paid like a starter and the hope was that he would be part of a dynamic twosome with Kyle Kuzma. It has been the opposite this season.
Over the first 52 games of the season, Jordan Poole is averaging 15.6 points per game, which is the lowest since his second season in the league. His 30% from three is only better than the 29% he shot in his rookie season. He is also only shooting 40% overall from the field, which is again the worst since his rookie season.
Suffice it to say, while Chris Paul has been part of a mediocre Golden State Warriors team in 2023-24, they won that surprise blockbuster trade from this summer.
