Jordan Poole was involved in one of the biggest trades of the offseason when the Golden State Warriors sent him to the Washington Wizards in exchange for future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. A young, emerging guard with a ton of potential on the offensive side of the floor, Poole was expected to immediately become one of the faces of the Wizards' rebuild.
Although he's a focal point, Poole's time as a member of the Wizards has not started off how he would have liked. The 24-year-old guard has recorded 20-plus points in only two of the Wizards' first 10 games, and Poole has shot 41.2 percent from the floor, 30.3 percent from 3-point range. Washington has started the 2023-24 season with a 2-8 record, tied for the fewest wins in the NBA right now.
Always finding success behind the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson as the sixth man for the Warriors, Poole has struggled in his primary role with the Wizards. As a result, questions are now being asked about if the Wizards actually want Poole to be a face of their franchise or just a player they can use as a “bridge” during their rebuild.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Wizards may have traded for Poole initially in order to rebuild his value. In doing so, Washington would have a young backcourt talent that could be flipped in a future trade for even more value.
Jordan Poole's future with Wizards
Initially, the Wizards may have acquired Poole with the intention of having him be one of the faces of their franchise. Given his struggles to fit in, there is absolutely a path that could lead to the organization exploring trade opportunities.
With this said, the Wizards may run into problems attempting to trade Poole if they do happen to build his value up. In 2022, Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors, a deal that just began this season.
Not only is he making $27.4 million this season, but Poole's contract will increase by about $2.2 million each of the next three seasons. So he will make roughly $34 million during the 2026-27 season.
Teams around the league are still figuring out the new salary cap numbers and restrictions that come into play with the NBA's new CBA, which is why there are obvious roadblocks that come into play should the Wizards explore trade opportunities involving Poole. Nonetheless, there have been no trade conversations at this time, and the Wizards are continuing to develop their youthful roster this season, a year in which Washington knew they had no chance of competing.
Although his early-season struggles are slightly concerning, Poole has proven to be a dynamic scoring talent through the years. That is exactly what the Wizards need moving forward, so it will be interesting to see how the team adjusts its style of play for its young star.
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