NBA Rumors- Warriors insider questions Jordan Poole's commitment to the team
Amidst Jordan Poole's disappointing playoff performance, uncertainty has emerged regarding his future with the Golden State Warriors. According to insider Monte Poole, Jordan Poole himself may still be undecided on his path moving forward.
“I think he needs this offseason to think about that for sure, to see if his heart is really here ... I'm not sure Jordan knows,” Monte Poole said, via 95.7 The Game.
"I think he needs this offseason to think about that for sure, to see if his heart is really here...I'm not sure Jordan knows."
- @MontePooleNBCS on if Jordan Poole wants to be with the Warriors moving forward (via @WillardAndDibs).
Jordan Poole averaged just 10.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.2 3-pointers per game on 34.1% shooting over 13 playoff games. This comes after Poole signed a four-year, $123 million contract extension with the Warriors in October that could rise to $140 million with incentives. The extension will kick in starting next season, where Poole will make $28.7 million.
Many have pointed out that Poole’s performance may have been affected by chemistry issues with his teammate Draymond Green. This comes after Green punched Poole during a team practice in October. So, perhaps a change of scenery would help the 23-year-old shooting guard get back on track.
Steve Kerr on Jordan Poole and Draymond Green’s futures in Golden State
During his exit interview on Tuesday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke about how Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in preseason impacted Golden State’s season. Kerr said that it was hard for the team to recover from the altercation:
“There's no hiding from it — the incident with Draymond and Jordan at the beginning of the year played a role in that,” Kerr said.
“It's hard for that not to impact a team.”
When asked about Poole's future in Golden State, Kerr said that he still wants to see him remain with the Warriors despite his struggles:
“Absolutely,” Kerr said.
“I called him one of the Foundational Six at the end of last season, and I still believe that.
“He helped us win a lot of games. He helped us win a championship a year ago. He would be the first to admit it wasn’t his best season. But that’s how these things go. That’s how careers go. As his coach, it’s my job to help him get better and help him really find his groove and find a good comfort zone next year.”
Kerr also said that he would like to see the Warriors retain Green as they can’t contend without him. This comes as Green has a player $27.6 million player option for next season. Green can opt out of that option to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“If Draymond is not back, we’re not a championship contender,” Kerr said.
“We know that. He’s that important to winning and to who we are. I absolutely want him back.”
However, Kerr added that Green will have to find a way to build back some of his trust with his Warriors teammates:
“He knows that he had a great season this year, from a basketball perspective, but he knows that he also compromised things by what happened back in October,” Kerr said.
“So part of him coming back next year has to be about rebuilding some of that trust and respect that he’s earned here for a long period of time.
“One thing I love about Draymond is he’s always brutally honest, and he can take that sort of critique because he knows it’s the truth. I want him back. I think we all want him back.”
Also read: "It's just been business" - Jordan Poole offers unsympathetic answer on his relationship with Draymond Green