The Golden State Warriors have a plethora of talented guards, and Jordan Poole, who could be on the trading block, may not have many opportunities anymore.
After last season ended, Jordan Poole was looking at a significant role in the upcoming season. The Warriors have had several other backup guards crack the rotation, and Poole has lost any momentum that he had.
As a rookie, Poole didn’t play too well for most of the season, but he did pick up late in the season with several straight double-digit performances. He scored ten or more in 12 of his last 13 games, shooting over 47 percent in that stretch of games.
That type of effort is why many thought he may be getting a solid bench role. With Mychal Mulder and Damion Lee joining the roster on a permanent basis with Lee transitioning to the bench, Poole’s opportunity was drastically limited.
This season has been a different story though. He’s averaging 5.3 points per game and playing just 10.3 minutes per game. The Warriors are 9-8, so 17 games in, and Poole has seen time in just 11 of them.
The best part of Poole’s play has been his improved field goal percentage and even that isn’t above 40 percent. There doesn’t seem to be much faith that Poole can contribute to the winning ways of this roster.
With the drafting of Nico Mannion and the retention of Lee and Mulder, Poole isn’t used often. That’s why the Warriors should go out and find a team, as they did with Jordan Bell, that would actually give Poole at least a slim chance to play impactful minutes.
Poole’s trade value likely wouldn’t be too high. If the Warriors want a few second-round picks, that could be it, but the part that makes Poole a potentially important chip is what he could add to a trade.
If the Warriors want to go out and get a player like Aron Baynes, they could deal a younger player like Poole that at least has high upside potential. Poole is more of an add-in player, but he should be the one that’s mentioned in trade talks given how much more used Mulder and Lee are.
While Poole has clearly yet to hit his ceiling, there shouldn’t be much hope that he’ll ever be an overly efficient guard.