Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole were teammates in the Bay for four seasons.
The guard duo won a championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2022, playing their respective roles to perfection to help the Dubs defeat the Boston Celtics in six games.
However, after a drama-filled 2022-23 campaign, the Warriors traded Poole to the Washington Wizards.
During a recent episode of the Tom Tolbert Show, the San Francisco Standard's Tim Kawakami explained that Thompson may have played a significant role in Poole’s departure.
"They had to move off of Jordan for two reasons, well, Draymond (Green) and Klay," Kawakami said during a recent episode of the Tom Tolbert Show. "I've heard this more and more that Klay was not comfortable with this guy pushing him.”
“And Klay thought, 'I've earned this starting role’. Why does this guy keep saying he should be the starter? And not publicly, maybe so much as just in the way he carried himself.”
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"And that's fine for a young player, but they couldn't keep that guy that got punched by Draymond, not his fault, and who was making things tense with Klay."
Assuming Kawakami's report holds merit, Thompson’s feelings toward Poole were warranted.
The Michigan product’s ego appeared to skyrocket after his exceptional 2022 postseason (he averaged 17.0 points per game on 50.8% field goal shooting and 39.1% three-point shooting), which wouldn’t sit well with any established NBA star.
Green’s viral punch to Poole’s jaw also didn’t help Poole’s case to remain with the Warriors, but the 6-foot-4 guard’s arrogant demeanor was likely the nail in the coffin.
Thompson was the next high-level contributor to leave Golden State, as the four-time NBA champion’s late-season shooting struggles caused the Warriors to trade him to the Dallas Mavericks last offseason.
Although it’s disappointing that the Dubs couldn’t keep their championship-winning roster intact, it just goes to show that organizations must make challenging decisions, regardless of whether they're coming off successful campaigns.
Thompson and Poole will attempt to keep their careers afloat while navigating life with different NBA franchises.
More NBA: Warriors guard could leave for Knicks to help Jalen Brunson, per writer