Is sending Poole away a tragedy for the Warriors?

Duncan's laugh

2024-06-25 16:46Posted in Shandong Sports Creators

After reading the title, someone will code words in the comment area: What tragedy? Looking at Jordan Poole's performance with the Wizards, there is no better decision than to send him away!

Really?

The 2023 champion Nuggets fell to the 2024 semifinals, so it is not a shame for the 2022 Warriors to fall in the 2023 semifinals. The defending champion was originally the public enemy of the whole league. Then, the Warriors made a decision for the 2023 offseason: send Poole away in exchange for Chris Paul. To that end, the Warriors also have a protected first-round pick in 2030 and a second-round pick in 2027.

Now that the '23-24 season is over, looking at the deal is a lose-lose: Paul played 58 games for the Warriors (an interesting number), and the Warriors ultimately failed to make the playoffs. Poole played 78 games for the Wizards, and the individual numbers didn't explode, and the Wizards didn't make the playoffs.

It's just that a perennial team like the Wizards missed the playoffs, and they themselves are salted fish. However, the Warriors, with a huge luxury tax of $172.8 million in the 23-24 season, still failed to make the playoffs. Of course, the Warriors dumped Poole's big contract, which has three full seasons left on his four-year, $128 million contract and $123 million guaranteed.

The Warriors are not having a good time, and they are still racking their brains to study Paul's contract, and they are unwilling to give it up in vain. But with Paul's contract regularized, the team will face a huge luxury tax. Of course, Paul's contract will most likely mean sending Paul away, but how much is the deal value of Paul now? Paul is useful for teams looking to free up salary space or stop losses.

However, it would be tantamount to a dream for the Warriors to exchange Paul for a star-level player with a certain amount of combat effectiveness. For example, with the noisy Paul George and Jimmy Butler, the Clippers and Heat may accept Paul if the Warriors add at least three first-round picks, or a combination of potential stocks + draft picks. Business alliances, no one is a fool.

The current Warriors were built by the late NBA star Jerry West, who was an old man who was good at "developing" the team. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Dream Green were all acquired by the Warriors through the draft, and then slowly cultivated, and finally bore fruit. Of course, the cost of "development" is not small, and if the player's growth does not meet expectations, the team has no ceiling to speak of, which is a great test of draft vision.

Looking back at Poole's career, he entered the league in 2019 and basically dominated the bench in his first two seasons, which can be described as tepid. He made his mark in his third season, scoring 18.5 points in '21-22 and 20.4 points in '22-23. In the 21-22 season when the Warriors won the championship, Poole even averaged 17 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the playoffs, shooting 50.8% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range.

It would be an exaggeration to describe Poole in the 2022 playoffs as "hard work", but in fact, Poole did show potential in the third and fourth seasons of his career worthy of the Warriors' long-term development. You know, Poole is the only player in the Warriors' 2022 playoffs to score in double figures but shoot at least 50% from the field. There will be claims that things like instability, Curry, and others share more of the pressure, but that's Poole, a third-year in the end.

Then, the Warriors gave Poole a $100 million contract before the start of the '22-23 season. Then there's his little story with Dream Green, and then there's the slightly choppy '22-23 season and the Warriors sending Poole away after the season.

In fact, Poole has too much of Curry's shadow on his body, and off-ball running, hand-to-hand hand, etc. will be found in Poole, which is also the key to why Poole can perform relatively well in the Warriors system. When he came to a team like the Wizards, with no system and no goal, Poole became a free-range child, and his personal performance naturally plummeted. If Poole had stayed with the Warriors and Steve Kerr had slowly adjusted and increased his status on the team year by year, Poole might not be what he is now.

Bottom line: Poole still has potential to dig into, and even if the 23-24 season is over, Poole will only be 25 years old. On the contrary, it is Paul, and all that remains is experience and previous honors, as well as the arrogance of the old gun. Basketball is always a young man's sport, and to use a bad analogy: when the time comes for the bayonet to be red, Poole still has a chance to fight, and Paul may just sit on the scene and slap the chair in frustration.

It is understandable why the Warriors sent Poole away in the first place, in front of the combination of Curry, Thompson and Dream Green, Poole is actually small and the easiest to abandon. It's just that such a deal can only alleviate the contradictions within the team, and it will not increase in terms of strength. So, sending Poole away is definitely a tragedy for the Warriors. Now that the Warriors are thinking about improving the team again, don't have a Poole-style tragedy.

Text/Duncan's laughter

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