Jordan Poole went from being one of the worst shooters in the league to a breakout star and a major contributor to an NBA championship. Now, the Golden State Warriors need to find a way to squeeze his new salary on their books.
Of course, having a young star ready to get paid is a good problem to have. But the Dubs still need to try and keep their championship core together. They owe them that much after four rings in eight seasons.
That’s why, as much as they love Poole, he might as well end up being the odd man out in this equation. According to The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, the Warriors could sign him to a huge extension just to trade him later.
NBA Rumors: Warriors Could Trade Jordan Poole If He Gets An Extension
“He was great last season and helped them win a title,” wrote Kawakami.“But if the Warriors get Poole signed on a decent deal, they could trade him in the future to alleviate the tax penalties or just for a straight basketball move (or more likely, both). Heck, this might be true even if they sign him to a so-so deal. You can always trade good players on solid deals.”
Poole Isn’t Worried About His Contract Situation
But even though there have been plenty of rumblings and rumors regarding his situation, Poole doesn’t seem too bothered about it. Instead, he’s just going to let his camp handle that and he’ll focus on hooping:
“We did what we needed to do last year. Got a championship as a team, and obviously, that’s something that’s out there, but I’m going to let my reps handle that,” Poole told the media.“I have confidence that we’ll work something out. I’m just here to play basketball and excited to be back with the team. However, we go into the season is however we go in. I’m going to play my game, continue to be me, and put everything forth to help us win games, whatever the situation or circumstance is.”
The Warriors did an outstanding job of staying competitive while also building for the future. But they may be forced to sacrifice something somewhere down the line, and Poole could be that sacrifice.