Celebrating his pivotal role in another Golden State Warriors title less than two years removed from being sent to the G-League, Jordan Poole apparently let champagne do the talking about his forthcoming payday.

The 23-year-old opted for a more diplomatic approach during his exit interview two days later, insisting he hadn't put much thought into a potential contract extension this summer.

“If I'm gonna be completely honest, I haven't even really been able to kind of fathom or lock in and think about that process yet,” Poole said, smiling. “I was so locked in and we were so locked in on a championship. Like we know it'll happen, like we've put ourselves in situations to be successful and everything else will take care of itself. But I guess I haven't even really got there yet.”

Pressed to specify if he believes the Warriors, who set an NBA record in luxury tax payments last season, will pay up even further to ensure their title-winning roster remains intact, Poole again demurred.

“I only stayed in school for two years, so you're asking the wrong person,” he said. “I guess we'll have to see. We'll have to see.”

So much for that vaunted University of Michigan education.

Poole, obviously, at least has some grasp of the particulars that could decide whether he gets a new deal from Golden State before next season. He's eligible for an extension until October 17th. Poole will hit restricted free agency next summer if the sides can't reach an agreement before then, leaving the Warriors the option to match any offer sheet he signs with a competing team.

What's absolutely certain for now is that Poole will be back in The Bay next season, playing out the final year of a rookie contract that will pay the former No. 28 overall pick a paltry $3.9 million. Needless to say, Poole deserves a massive raise. The question now is how Joe Lacob, Bob Myers and Warriors management plan to give it to him.

3 ways Warriors can deal with Jordan Poole's potential contract extension

The biggest “bag” possible

Poole's meteoric rise from ostensible draft bust to plausible max player is among the more stark career evolutions in recent NBA history.

He was arguably the league's worst rotation mainstay as a rookie, one of three players since 2019-20 to post a usage rate north of 20.0% and true shooting percentage lower than 46.0%, per research compiled at Stathead Basketball. The others? Aleksej Poksevski and Jalen Suggs during their notoriously rough NBA debuts.

Making Poole a max-level player doesn't seem so crazy considering the steep upward trajectory he's been on ever since. He capitalized on an eyebrow-raising last few weeks of 2020-21 by finishing fourth in Most Improved Player this season, then posted a 65.4 true shooting percentage—including ridiculous 62.7% shooting on two-pointers—while averaging 17.0 points per game during the Warriors' championship run.

Poole provided more resistance defensively as the NBA Finals went on, but was still among the most frequently targeted and easily beaten individual defenders in basketball during the postseason. Questions persist about his utility as a team's full-time primary ball-handler, and won't be answered as long as he's playing with Curry.

Still, max contracts have been afforded in the past to many players who were less dynamic and accomplished than Poole. Giving him the biggest allowable five-year, $185.7 million extension this summer could keep the Warriors from saving tens of millions in luxury tax payments when Poole's next deal kicks in come 2023-24.

On the other hand, locking up an ever-improving, unique talent like him for the long haul now would erase any concerns about Poole suffering the “disease of more.” It's not like exorbitant luxury tax payouts have ever stopped Lacob from doing everything he can to maximize the Warriors' championship window, either.

Paying up for market value

There are multiple players whose new contracts in free agency could serve as a helpful blueprint for Poole's first major payday.

Jalen Brunson and Anfernee Simons are both cut from the same score-first cloth as Poole, with familiar worries about their ability to hold up defensively against elite competition.

Brunson is an unrestricted free agent, but the cash-strapped Dallas Mavericks would have no way to replace him if they let him walk on the open market. Simons, a restricted free agent, finds himself in a similar boat with the Portland Trail Blazers, who are essentially obligated to pay him while seeking reinforcements for Damian Lillard as an over-the-cap team.

Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a league source believes the Warriors' extension offer to Poole needs to start at $100 million over four seasons—a $25 million average salary often referenced with regard to new deals for Brunson and Simons. If they sign second contracts approaching those terms soon after July 1st, expect Golden State to quickly follow suit by extending Poole a competitive offer.

The restricted free agency waiting game

Poole doesn't have the leverage of most newly-minted champions in contract negotiations. His contract is set for next season no matter what happens this summer, and unlike Andrew Wiggins, a prospective extension for Poole would mean a huge raise—at least four times the size of his $5.8 million qualifying offer for 2023-24.

The Warriors just aren't under much pressure to pay him, even in the euphoric haze of the championship afterglow.

But if Poole continues building on his breakout play in 2021-22, establishing himself as a future All-Star next season, Golden State will have no doubt missed the opportunity to save Lacob from writing a smaller luxury tax check. Three-level scorers who consistently bend defenses and possess natural playmaking chops aren't available very often. It's a virtual guarantee Poole will get a max-level offer sheet next summer should he improve from here.

Does Myers want to take the risk of being forced to pay Poole the max a year from now, perhaps damaging personal relationships in the process, instead of tasking Lacob with committing even more long-term money to the Warriors' books this summer? Logic and recent history suggest otherwise.

Golden State always breaks the bank to retain its core, and Poole proved himself worthy of being a part of that inner circle time and again throughout 2021-22.