After the Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA playoffs last season, the consensus was some drastic changes could be on the horizon for the storied franchise, with longtime general manager Bob Myers potentially stepping away.
Once Myers announced that he would leave the team, the Warriors appointed Mike Dunleavy Jr. as his successor, who proclaimed that Jordan Poole was in the team’s plans.
Ultimately, that was not the case, with the Warriors trading Poole the first chance they got and receiving future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul in return in a deal with the Washington Wizards.
Many have speculated that the team was ready to move on from Poole, who never really got back on the same page with Draymond Green, and now, former NBA star and current NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley claims the team “hated” the young guard, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area via Legion Hoops.
Charles Barkley on Warriors trading Jordan Poole:
“They hated Jordan Poole. They really hated Jordan Poole.”
(via @MontePooleNBCS, https://t.co/4U9BbLEP6x) pic.twitter.com/LMM7aQVo6I
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 25, 2023
Although Poole played an essential role in the team’s last championship run, he didn’t seem to fit the mold during their title defense, as he took bad shots on multiple occasions and clearly wasn’t on the same page with Green.
That said, it’s not all that surprising that the team would not be fond of Poole, especially Green, who felt compelled to punch him in practice, but hate is a bit of a strong word.
It’ll be interesting to see how Poole reacts with his former teammates next season when the Wizards and Warriors face each other in the regular season, as it may bring more clarity as to what really happened in Golden State.
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Steph Curry Talks The Importance Of Chris Paul On The Warriors