The Golden State Warriors season ended on Friday night, exiting the NBA playoffs with a 122-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. As Golden State enters a pivotal offseason, Jordan Poole’s future becomes increasingly uncertain.
Poole, the 28th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, emerged as a key piece of the Warriors’ rotation last season. He started 51-of-76 games, shooting 36.4 percent from the perimeter and often played a bigger role when Klay Thompson to Stephen Curry were sidelined.
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After Golden State won the NBA Finals, it signed Poole to a four-year extension worth $128 million in October. The Warriors viewed the 23-year-old as an integral part of their future and signed him in the same month Poole was punched at practice by Draymond Green.
- Jordan Poole stats (2022-’23): 20.4 PPG, 4.5 APG, 33.6% 3PT, .063 WS/48, 117 Def Rating
However, the 2023 postseason raised more questions in Golden State that will be answered this summer. The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement includes luxury tax penalties that will make retaining the entire core form this past season cost-prohibitive. With Poole coming off a poor playoff run and Green holding a $27.586 million player option, it makes the offseason a potential turning point for the franchise.
As Shams Charania of The Athletic explained, Poole’s extension kicks in next season and keeping him along with Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green would have significant financial ramifications under the new NBA CBA.
“His contract extension kicks in next season at $27.4 million. That spike, along with retaining Green, would put the Warriors in a luxury tax tier that could be a non-starter for Lacob. It also now contains other roster-building restrictions, including the loss of the midlevel exception, which allowed them to get Donte DiVincenzo this past summer.
Shams Charania on the influence of Jordan Poole’s contract extension on Golden State Warriors’ luxury tax
It’s why Sharania identifies Poole as the likeliest candidate to be moved if ownership decides to pursue cost-cutting measures. He notes that there is some “hesitancy” for Glden State to move him because of his offensive capability and low trade value, but the financial side of things may push it.
Poole became a complete non-factor for Golden State during their two-round playoff stint. Against the Sacramento Kings, he shot just 33.8 percent from the field and averaged kist 12 points in 22.8 minutes in seven contests.
The 6-foot-4 guard’s production slipped even further in the six-game series loss to Los Angeles. He averaged just 20.7 minutes on the floor, shooting 25 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 3.2 fouls and 1.3 turnovers per game.
- Jordan Poole contract: $28.705M cap hit (2023-’24), $30.9M cap hit (2024-’25), $33.1M cap hit (2025-’26), $25.29M cap hit (2026-’27)
Poole’s trade value has hit rock bottom, with NBA teams likely unwilling to take on the $128 million he is owed over the next four seasons. Golden State needs his shooting and youth around Curry, especially if it wants to remain a contender in the years to come, but the overall negative on-court impact he makes and his high salary could be what forces the Warriors to make a change.