According to NBA insider Pablo Torre of ESPN, former Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole called Draymond Green “an expensive backpack for 30” before getting punched in the face by Green before the 2022-23 season. “30” is Stephen Curry’s number and “backpack” is what Green is called on social media sometimes because it looks like he shoots jump shots with a backpack on.
Green’s punch was caught on video and it got leaked. The Warriors managed to win 44 games last season, but they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals in six games.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors Updates
Golden State traded Poole to the Washington Wizards in the Chris Paul trade this offseason. Meanwhile, Green signed a new four-year deal with the Warriors in free agency.
Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors in October 2022. The Michigan product averaged a career-high 20.4 points for the Dubs last season.
However, Poole wasn’t able to carry over his regular-season success to the 2023 postseason. In 13 playoff games versus the Sacramento Kings and 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 why they traded him.
“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.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors Updates
Poole and Kyle Kuzma are the best players on the Wizards now, while the Warriors will likely start Paul, Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Green in 2023-24.
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