After winning the NBA Championship last season, it seemed like a quiet and delightful offseason for the Golden State Warriors. With more than a week left before opening night, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that there was a physical altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole in Warriors practice a couple of days ago.
To make things worse for the organization, TMZ leaked a video without audio that clearly shows how Green approached Poole and punched him after the latter shoved him. That was inexcusable from Green as he could have seriously injured Poole, and there is no plausible reason for him to strike his teammate as they prepare to defend the crown.
Footage of Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole at Warriors practice
(via @TMZ)pic.twitter.com/lv31sRcAdn https://t.co/CIp7bhxYRF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 7, 2022
With both Draymond Green and Jordan Poole playing for a new contract, it just might not be too surprising for Golden State to swing a deal involving Poole.
Dallas Mavericks
Ever since Luka Doncic exploded and instantly became one of the best players in the league, the clamor has been to surround him with shooters and secondary ball handlers who can thrive alongside him. Jalen Brunson decided to take his talents to New York, so acquiring Jordan Poole to play alongside Luka Doncic would be a significant boost to the future of Dallas.
The defense will be the number one issue because Poole and Doncic are both subpar defenders, but opponents will have a massive headache to guard both of these guys with three tremendous shooters alongside them. Moreover, Dallas has numerous pieces that could attract Golden State so adding Jordan Poole to play under head coach Jason Kidd will be a terrific spot for him.
New Orleans Pelicans
Losing two fantastic ball handlers Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball has not been much of an issue for the New Orleans Pelicans. Acquiring CJ McCollum and possibly Jordan Poole will be a phenomenal backcourt that can score for themselves and their teammates. These two individuals are not natural facilitators, but it was proven last season that New Orleans was thriving with McCollum at the one.
Any NBA fan could easily forget that the Pelicans have a myriad of future draft picks, so they can execute a three-way deal with the Warriors and another organization to get Poole to New Orleans. Poole will likely not start with the Pelicans as well, but he will be a perfect reliever when either CJ McCollum or Brandon Ingram is taking a breather.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors surprised many NBA pundits last season by ascending to the fifth seed of the Eastern Conference. Their versatility, athleticism, and defensive prowess are elite, but one glaring weakness from their performance is a secondary ball handler that will help Fred VanVleet. Teams would blitz, trap, and pressure him immensely, which drastically affected their offensive sets in the playoffs.
One of the best answers to address that issue is adding Jordan Poole to the 2019 NBA Champions. Coach Nick Nurse prefers the length and versatility in the first unit, so Poole will also be off the bench for this squad but possibly be in the closing lineup of the Raptors. The reason for this is that VanVleet is one of the best point guard defenders in the league, so Poole will not be as exposed on that side of the floor. Having Poole in this roster lessens the pressure on Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam as well, which will keep defenses guessing every night.
These proposed deals are all hypothetical as there has been no indication of Golden State trading Jordan Poole. With all fans waiting for the season to begin, this Jordan Poole-Draymond Green issue has escalated the intrigue level to a whole another level for the defending champs.
