NBA Rumors: Andre Iguodala hypes up former Warriors teammate Jordan Poole
Andre Iguodala appeared on the 'Gilbert Arenas Show' to talk about his former Golden State Warriors teammate Jordan Poole. The Warriors shipped Poole to Washington in exchange for Chris Paul over the summer, a move that essentially amounts to a salary dump after Poole signed a four-year, $128 million extension in 2022.
Poole is expected to take on a starring role for the rebuilding Wizards, who will have no shortage of intriguing offensive weapons. Golden State's 2022-23 season was extremely disappointing and Poole was a regular target for criticism. Iguodala doesn't understand the hate.
"He was the only one that got to the [free throw] line for us," Iggy said of his former teammate. "Y'all blame him for the [bad] year we had last year, and he averaged 20?"
The short answer to Iggy's question is 'yes.' Poole deserves a fair amount of criticism for how he went about scoring his 20 points per game, often operating outside the strictures of Steve Kerr's offense with a real appetite for over-dribbling and contested pull-up jumpers. Poole's shooting percentages were down across the board compared to the prior season and his defense was atrocious.
On the flip side, Iguodala does generally have a point. He expects Poole to average 25-plus in Washington and that's certainly within the realm of possibility. Poole is a dynamic on or off-ball shooter with twitchy handles and effortless touch. If he can refine his shot selection and make a more consistent effort to involve teammates in Washington, he's going to be one heck of an offensive engine.
NBA Rumors: James Harden continues public crusade against 76ers
James Harden is back on U.S. soil after a recent trip to China, during which he sold innumerable pairs of shoes and bottles of wine while publicly disavowing the Philadelphia 76ers organization. Harden called his old friend Daryl Morey "a liar" and vowed never to play for him again, setting the stage for a long and uncomfortable standoff between the former MVP and his current team.
Harden opted into the final year of his contract ahead of free agency and demanded a trade. He could have left the Sixers of his own volition as a free agent, but with no long-term offers materializing on the open market, Harden took the guaranteed $35 million from Philadelphia and decided to make his third trade request in four years.
Now the Sixers have shut down trade talks and are planning to begin the season with Harden on the roster. The point guard has "no plans" to report to training camp, but a holdout of longer than 30 days would essentially revoke Harden's ability to leave the Sixers at season's end. As a result, the expectation is that Harden will eventually show up and break out his trademark "I Dont wanna be here" affectation.
Harden continued his public crusade against Sixers management on Friday morning in Houston, where he's currently hosting a charity event. "I've been patient all summer," to told KHOU 11. "[I can only] focus on what I can control: working out, staying in shape, and getting ready for this season."
When asked if the relationship with Philadelphia is beyond repair, Harden offered a blunt response: "I think so."
This interview from Harden is slightly more vague than the answers he gave in China, where he said he would never play under Morey again. Harden's agent reportedly advised Harden against his comments in China and, by nature of the new CBA, it will be borderline impossible for Harden to actually hold out. There's still a world in which he shows up and sulks around until the Sixers trade him.
NBA Rumors: 3-team trade proposal lands Damian Lillard with Pelicans
The Damian Lillard trade chatter has been virtually nonexistent in recent weeks. It would appear Joe Cronin and the Blazers are comfortable really dragging this out with four years and over $200 million left on Lillard's contract. Lillard has made his desire to join the Miami Heat plain as day, but recent NBA intervention has opened the door for other teams.
It's frankly bit shocking how quiet the Lillard market has been. It's clear the Blazers are willing to move Lillard for the right price, the Heat simply don't have enough to tempt Portland in the immediate future. There's a long list of other contenders who should be eagerly pursuing Lillard.
One such contender is the New Orleans Pelicans, who are on the verge of catastrophe if another year of the Zion Williamson era goes sideways. On the other hand, New Orleans has an abundance of draft picks to trade and one of the deepest young cores in the NBA. David Griffin should be making a strong push to team Lillard with Zion and Brandon Ingram in the Big Easy.
Even if Williamson misses half the season again, Lillard and Ingram with a solid accompaniment of role players would put the Pelicans squarely in the contender's circle. The West is loaded and the NBA in general has more competitive parity than ever before, but the Pelicans have genuine weapons at every position. Lillard was a top-20 player last season. In fact, he's coming off the best statistical campaign of his career. Concerns tied to his age and contract size are valid, but the Pelicans have the talent to bridge two timelines and compete in the immediate future while Lillard still has the juice, and then still compete once he ages out of his prime.
A recent trade proposal from Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report details how the Pels can land the seven-time All-Star.
There's a certain abstract poetry to Lillard replacing his former teammate and beloved running mate, CJ McCollum, in New Orleans. The Blazers clean up with quality role players and a few intriguing young pieces, as well as three first-round picks. The Clippers get serious about upgrading their backcourt without giving up the assets required to land James Harden.
The Blazers are definitely getting shorted here. Portland needs to extract maximum superstar value from Lillard at the onset of their rebuild, lest they compromise the next decade of building around Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons. The Clippers would probably have to sacrifice more to flip Norman Powell and Marcus Morris into McCollum too, but that's a feasible extension of a trade that brings Lillard to New Orleans. It's really on the Pelicans to give up more here. There's no way Trey Murphy and Herb Jones survive a Lillard deal unless there are four or five picks involved.
