Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole were two of the biggest positives for the Golden State Warriors last season. Their emergence as key contributors to the team played a big role in helping them become NBA champions yet again, and as is the case when someone contributes to winning, they also tend to fill up their bank accounts.
In an ideal world, the Warriors would be able to offer both of them long-term extensions, but that is highly unlikely at this point. They were already at the top when it came to payroll last season, and extending both of them would be too costly, even for an ownership group that has been willing to spend a lot. As if extensions for these two weren’t enough of a headache, Draymond Green is up for a new deal too, and he reportedly wants a max extension. Keeping all of these guys on big contracts is simply not possible, and Connor Letourneau believes that the team needs to prioritize keeping Wiggins over Poole.
“Though Green and Thompson are extension-eligible this summer, Golden State’s brass knows that its most critical dilemma comes down to a single choice: Keep Poole, or keep Wiggins?”
“Before making such an important decision, the Warriors would be wise to see how both players progress over the next 12 months. But right now, given all the information available, Poole seems to have the higher chance of being the odd man out. The reason is simple: Two-way wings like Wiggins are harder to find than score-first shooting guards like Poole.”
Proper two-way wings are indeed hard to find, as stated there, and Wiggins showed just how valuable he is during these playoffs. He did a good job on Luka Doncic and was excellent in the Finals against the Celtics, as he was clearly their second-best player after Stephen Curry.
The decision to part with Poole is a tough one to make, however. He is just 23 years old and has improved dramatically after every season. He has all the talent needed to be an explosive scorer in the league one day, and if they do let him go, then years down the road, we might be having conversations regarding why the Warriors ever thought of shipping him out. Some tough decisions need to be made in Golden State in the coming time, as there is going to be some risk attached no matter which direction they decide to go in.
