The Jordan Poole era in Golden State may have come to an end with his disastrous postseason. Which teams could take advantage with a low-ball trade offer?
After the Warriors won Game 5 to stay alive in their second-round series with the Lakers, ESPN Insider Zach Lowe pointed to Jordan Poole and said that the Warriors would have to explore trading him this offseason. Then Poole went out and scored 7 points on 3-of-10 shooting, missing all three of his 3-pointers, in a 21-point, Game-6 loss that ended the Warriors' season.
The Warriors inked Poole to a big new extension before this season started but he was a complete disaster across the entire postseason, shooting 34.1 percent from the field, 25.4 percent from beyond the arc and seeing his regular-season scoring average cut in half. A year ago, he looked like an indispensable part of the Warriors' future. Now, he looks like a weak link on the roster that the Warriors may have to consider trading.
These three teams should definitely be trying to buy low on Jordan Poole:
3. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks reportedly would like to re-sign Kyrie Irving but there's no guarantee that he returns. Even if he does, Dallas could desperately use additional shooting and creation on the wings around Luka Doncic and Poole absolutely fits the bill, even if he comes with consistency and defensive concerns.
It's not clear what the Mavs cap sheet will look like with Irving, Christian Wood and Dwight Powell coming off the books and replacements needed for all those spots. But Dallas could conceivably offer the Warriors something like Davis Bertans, Reggie Bullock and their first-round pick, which would land at No. 10 if they don't move up in the lottery.
That gives the Warriors a frontcourt shooter, another wing shooter in Bullock (whose contract for next year is only partially guaranteed) and a first-round pick to compensate them for whatever they're giving up in upside from Poole. It's not a great deal but it saves money they can commit to Draymond Green or someone else down the road and lets them take another swing at a young replacement late in the lottery.
2. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons may not be interested in trading for Poole, committing money and any degree of offensive primacy when they have Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham in place as their backcourt of the future, along with whoever they land in this year's draft. However, they have said they want to add additional shooting on the wings and Poole does make sense from a certain perspective.
Poole is more of a shooting threat than either Ivey or Cunningham at this point and would help space the floor with them. He could come off the bench as a microwave scorer or play with the other two in certain lineups. Also, the final year of his current deal would be 2026-27, the same year Jalen Duren and Ivey would be entering restricted free agency, so he could be moved again before the cap implications really take hold.
The other advantage for the Pistons would be how much leverage they have. They don't need Poole, so they could keep all their picks and offer something like Killian Hayes, Marvin Bagley and R.J. Hampton — three flawed players they don't actually need but who might have enough versatility and upside to intrigue the Warriors. If Golden State says no, you walk away and find a better option.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
I've seen a Jordan Poole for Deandre Ayton trade idea bandied about but I'm not entirely convinced it solves everyone's problems. The Warriors still have Kevon Looney and presumably would try to keep Draymond Green if they trade Poole. They already discovered that Looney and Green lineups could be exposed in the playoffs so I'm not sure adding a third big to the mix really helps things. In addition, I think the Suns might be better off with a less ball-dominant bench-scoring option.
Still, I'm going to acquiesce but throw in a third team here to satisfy my own curiosity. Let's send Poole to the Cavs, Jarrett Allen to the Suns and Ayton back to the Warriors. The Warriors would still have the same problems to solve but the Suns get a defensive anchor to replace Ayton, one who should be much happier with the role they need him to play.
The Cavs, meanwhile, abandon their twin towers and let Evan Mobley take over as the full-time defensive anchor. (They can chase Brook Lopez in free agency for a spacier version of this year's team if they don't want to leave Mobley alone in the middle to bang). Then the Cavs get the third backcourt scorer and creator they desperately need, making re-signing Caris LeVert all gravy.
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