The Warriors were involved in one of the most surprising trades of the NBA offseason.
Following their loss to the Lakers in the playoffs, the Warriors decided they needed more experience and dealt Jordan Poole to the Wizards in a package for Chris Paul.
Poole had become a big part of the Warriors. He played an important role off the bench in their 2022 championship and was the team’s third-leading scorer in 2022-23 with an average of 20.4 points per game. Golden State even made a big commitment to him with a four-year, $128.0 million extension.
What was the motivation behind trading Poole? Here’s why the Warriors moved on from the explosive scorer.
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Why did the Warriors trade Jordan Poole?
Warriors owner Joe Lacob told Madeline Kenney of The Mercury News that they were motivated to make a change following the 2022-23 season, which saw the team fall short of expectations.
There are a number of reasons the Warriors lost to the Lakers in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, but Draymond Green took on some of the responsibility. After Golden State was eliminated, Green told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that him punching Poole in a preseason practice negatively impacted the team’s season.
“Because the voice…
