The Golden State Warriors’ NBA summer has been a rollercoaster of feelings. Along with retiring from his position as head of their front office, longtime executive Bob Myers, the team also let go of former first-round pick Jordan Poole. Poole played a crucial role in Golden State’s 2022 championship run and will now carry on with the Washington Wizards.
Due to budgetary constraints, the Warriors chose to part ways with Poole in the off-season despite having signed him to a four-year, $128 million contract after they won the 2022 NBA Finals. Getting out of his contract for a one-year rental in Chris Paul makes sense because the league’s new CBA deal is expected to penalize high-salary teams like the Warriors.
Poole may not be their teammate anymore, but the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, have taken him under their wing over the past three seasons with the Warriors, and the two still seem to be close. On Wednesday, images of Poole, Curry, and Thompson exercising together appeared on social media, along with Steph Curry’s brother Seth Curry.
Poole working out with his teammates while no longer being a member of the Warriors may be too soon for some Warriors fans to understand, but this only serves to highlight the closeness these players had during the last several seasons. It is by no means simple to go from winning 15 games in one season to winning a title two years later, and this team encountered many challenges along the way.
Even though Poole had some difficulties in his final season with the Warriors, he was still a crucial piece of this team’s puzzle. The former first-round choice would not have developed into the budding star he is today if Steph or Klay were not there to serve as his mentors. On a Wizards club that is in the process of rebuilding, he will now look to continue developing into his own on the offensive end of the court.
The 2023–24 season will be all about the Warriors demonstrating that they still possess the necessary skills to win a championship. Despite the NBA having won four championships since 2015, recent performances by clubs and players have the league’s attention. This upcoming season, Golden State will have a lot to prove, and if we know anything about this squad, it’s that they’ll be focused and prepared to demonstrate that they can still challenge for a championship.
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