Jordan Poole may no longer be with the Golden State Warriors, but the intrigue about his departure still lingers.
The fourth-year guard was traded to the Washington Wizards not long after the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. Online sleuths were able to notice that one of Poole’s first moves after getting traded was immediately unfollowing former teammate Draymond Green on Instagram.
Many pointed to the viral punch during the 2022 offseason as the smoking gun that soured Poole’s relationship with Green — and eventually the Warriors (video here).
However, Green may not even have been the strongest advocate for getting rid of Poole.
The combo guard’s souring relationship with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr might have been more to blame, KRON4 sports director Jason Dumas said while speaking to 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast” on Friday.
“I honestly think the relationship between [Poole] and Steve was more of what got him traded than his relationship with him and Draymond Green,” Dumas told the hosts, as transcribed by 95.7 The Game’s Alex Espinoza. “I just think [Kerr] was kinda fed up with the fact that Jordan was kinda huffin’ and puffin’ that he wasn’t in the right role for him. I think that had more to do with him being moved than that punch. The punch didn’t help and his relationship with Draymond wasn’t great, but I think Steve was more fed up than anything.”
Interesting stuff from @JDumasReports on Kerr and JP’s relationship 👀 pic.twitter.com/nSy3JYOd7a
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) July 7, 2023
Poole had a relatively down year last season, but his poor play was particularly evident in the playoffs. Poole’s efficiency saw a steep decline as he shot a putrid 34.1% from the field and 25.4% from beyond the arc in 13 postseason contests. Consequently, Kerr dropped the 24-year-old’s playing time from 30.0 minutes per game during the regular season to 21.8 in the postseason.
While there really might have been a falling out between Poole and Kerr that greased the wheels for the former’s exit, the world doesn’t usually deal in absolutes. Until Poole himself speaks out, onlookers can merely speculate.
