NBA legend Charles Barkley believes the Golden State Warriors “really hated” Jordan Poole, who was traded to the Washington Wizards in the Chris Paul trade.
“They hated Jordan Poole,” Barkley said in a recent conversation with NBC Sports Bay Area. “They really hated Jordan Poole. That’s the No. 1 thing I said to myself. They really hated Jordan Poole.”
Draymond Green punched Poole in the face before the 2022-23 NBA season started. Klay Thompson also had issues with Poole, who was “excited” the Warriors traded him to the Wizards, according to NBA insider Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors in October 2022. The extension kicks in next season. The shooting guard averaged a career-high 20.4 points for the Warriors last season while shooting 43.0% from the field, 33.6% from beyond the arc and 87.0% from the free-throw line.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jordan Poole, Charles Barkley, Golden State Warriors & Washington Wizards Updates
However, Poole wasn’t able to carry over his regular-season success to the 2023 NBA postseason. In 13 playoff games versus the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, Poole averaged 10.3 points while shooting an inefficient 34.1% overall and 25.4% from 3-point range.
According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the Warriors thought Poole was an “extraneous” and “inefficient” member of their roster, which is they traded him to the Wizards for Paul.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jordan Poole, Charles Barkley, Golden State Warriors & Washington Wizards Updates
“What’s clear to me after a few days of checking around is that this all began when the Warriors decided that Poole was an extraneous and inefficient member of their roster,” Kawakami wrote. “That was the precipitating issue. The Warriors wanted out of the $123 million deal they gave Poole only eight months earlier because his play last season didn’t meet that value, especially given their extreme luxury-tax pressures.”
Poole and Kyle Kuzma are the best players on the Wizards, while the Warriors will likely start Paul, Stephen Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Green next season. It will be interesting to see if Poole and Green shake hands when Washington and Golden State face each other.
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