Jordan Poole signed a four-year, $140 million contract in October, but the pricey deal looks terrible now for the Warriors.
Since Feb. 23, the 23-year-old is averaging 17.3 points and 4.9 assists but shooting as poorly as he did as a rookie, when the Warriors sent him to the G League for a spell.
For the season, Poole is shooting 33% from three on 7.8 attempts per game and is third in the NBA in turnovers (135), two behind Anthony Edwards (137), who plays more minutes per game (36 to Poole’s 30.5) and handles the ball more.
Poole also fails the eye test.
Throughout the season, Poole has looked careless and lost. Overall, if he isn’t scoring efficiently, he’s usually a negative and his defense is atrocious.
“[A]s the Warriors’ chances of winning a title wane with every road loss, the pressure to perform increases across the board, and right now, no one on the Dubs has a larger delta between expectation and reality than Poole,” wrote Dieter Kurtenbach for the San Jose Mercury News.
While his playmaking is OK, his high turnover rate and poor decision-making offset that. For the season, Poole is minus-64.
To make things worse, he’s not a great fit alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. He’s too small (6-foot-4), and it’s tough to hide bad defenders when you have three guards on the floor together.
If Golden State (37-36) has an early flameout in the postseason — or misses the playoffs altogether — and Poole doesn’t play well, the Warriors will face a tough decision.
Guard Donte DiVincenzo, a free agent this summer, has played well all season. If Golden State wants to re-sign him or target other two-way players in free agency, it may have to clear out contracts. Poole could be the first to go.
But would teams have much interest in a high-turnover and low-efficiency player such as Poole?
Golden State could be stuck with Poole and his huge contract, but it can’t hurt for them to test the market.
