When the Golden State Warriors decided to cut ties with Jordan Poole, it wasn’t just about Draymond Green.
The Warriors traded Poole to the Washington Wizards in the summer of 2023 despite the then-24-year-old having averaged 21.6 points per 36 minutes for Golden State in four seasons. Poole also won an NBA title with the Warriors in 2022.
At his best, Poole was one of the most exciting young guards in the NBA during his Warriors tenure. There were rare moments when Poole’s brilliance even made him look like a viable, long-term Stephen Curry replacement.
Curry is, of course, irreplaceable and inimitable, but Poole was nonetheless seen as the next big thing in Golden State.
Then, everything changed on October 5, 2022, when Green punched Poole in the face during a team practice, revealing to the world Golden State's ego-fueled, locker room turmoil surrounding Poole’s rise to stardom.
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Since the incident and Poole’s departure, NBA fans have attributed the falling out mostly to the infamous Green-Poole beef, but a new report indicates that Klay Thompson felt threatened by Poole’s talent, too.
Appearing as a guest on The Tom Tolbert Show, San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami revealed recently that Thompson’s discomfort with Poole gunning for his starting role caused intense friction.
Kawakami also shot down the notion that Poole’s exit was a result of head coach Steve Kerr failing to handle the situation.
“They say Steve (Kerr) is tough on young guys, but name me a young guy who they've … not developed and they've moved on from, who's been a star elsewhere,” Kawakami told Tolbert.
“(Maybe) Jordan Poole … but that wasn't (Kerr’s fault). We know that wasn't Steve. That was Draymond.”
“They had to move off of Jordan for, well, Draymond and Klay (Thompson).”
“And I've heard this more and more, that Klay was not comfortable with this guy pushing him and pushing him … Klay thought, ‘I’ve earned this starting role. Why does this guy keep saying that he should be the starter?’”
“And not publicly, maybe … just in the way (Poole) carried himself.”
“And that's fine for a young player, but they couldn't keep that guy … who was making things tense with Klay.”
Poole thrived in a starting role with the Warriors when Klay missed the entire 2020-21 season due to an Achilles.
Once Klay returned to the court, there were too many cooks in the kitchen. Even with Curry, Poole, and Thompson all starting, it sounds like Poole and Thompson butted heads over who was the true second fiddle to Steph.
Thompson’s athletic decline (starting around this period), not to mention his own exit from Golden State, leaves Warriors fans wondering if the organization made the wrong call on cutting ties with Poole.
Poole, 25, has continued to prove he’s a talented scorer for the Wizards, even if his decision-making and shot selection are oftentimes frustrating.
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