Jordan Poole was somewhat of a disaster during his rookie season in the NBA, but he worked his tail off and, just two years later, is seen as one of the best young guards in the game. Poole averaged career-highs across the board last season for Golden State and went on to contribute in a big way to their success in the postseason as well.
Having shone so brightly last season, Poole has now become someone who would be highly sought-after if he ever hits the free agency market. The Warriors would ideally not want him to ever get that opportunity, as they look to secure him to an extension prior to that, but the asking price isn’t really low. In fact, it is probably only getting higher, as per Dalton Johnson, considering some of the other deals that have been handed out recently.
“Training camp is less than a month away now, and yet, Poole’s value and contract figures could be on the rise. Three recent deals, one from his draft class and two from the year before, might show why.”
“Poole was the No. 28 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, a selection that many “experts” saw as a reach or complete mistake by general manager Bob Myers and Golden State’s front office. One year earlier, the Portland Trail Blazers took a swing on a young guard full of potential and question marks in Anfernee Simons. Nine picks after Simons, the Dallas Mavericks took guard Jalen Brunson out of Villanova.”
“Both players signed contracts north of $100 million this offseason. Those figures shouldn’t only stand out to Poole and his agents at CAA, but the Warriors as well.”
Poole probably would believe he is worth more than Jalen Brunson and especially Anfernee Simons. Dalton makes that case, too, as he believes Poole outperformed both of them last season, and if they managed to secure contracts upwards of $100 million, then Poole would be justified in asking for more than that too. The last player that Dalton brings up here is RJ Barrett, who just signed a 4-year extension worth up to $120 million with the New York Knicks.
“On Monday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the New York Knicks and guard/forward RJ Barrett are finalizing a four-year rookie extension that could be worth up to $120 million. Barrett was taken with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft, 25 spots ahead of Poole. Though he has had a strong start to his career, Barrett hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations and hasn’t been the star many envisioned after his one year at Duke.”
Barrett was in the same draft class as Poole, and he hasn’t exactly set the league on fire so far. He did average 20 points per game last season but was very inefficient, and one wonders if he is actually any better than Poole at this point. It is debatable where Poole would rank when compared to these guys, but one thing is for sure, which is that after they managed to secure these extensions, Poole is going to be able to command a lot of money too.
The Warriors have some big decisions to make, as Andrew Wiggins is also up for an extension, while Draymond Green wants the max extension for himself. They cannot afford to keep all of them, and you wonder who ends up being the odd man out.
