While the Golden State Warriors sift through all their trade possibilities before next month's deadline, former guard Jordan Poole could also be on the move from the New Orleans Pelicans according to a recent report.
After already being moved by the Warriors to the Washington Wizards, and now the Pelicans in the space of less than three years, Poole simply can't escape trade rumors amid a season where he's been forced back into a bench role.
Jordan Poole could be traded again before the mid-season deadline
New Orleans are eager to retain wing duo Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones despite interest from multiple teams including Golden State, and also former No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson despite the up-and-down nature of his career with the franchise to date.
But that safety doesn't extend to Poole who does find himself on the trade market according to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line on Thursday.
"Combo guard Jordan Poole and the feisty Jose Alvarado are said to feature on that list, but recent first-round pick Yves Missi seems to be generating the greatest interest among the players for which the Pelicans have been testing the market," Fischer wrote.
If Poole is traded in the next two weeks, it would represent the third time he's been moved on his current contract with still one year remaining at $34 million. The four-year, $128 million deal certainly has proven a valuable one, at least not in relation to what the Warriors envisioned when they gave the young guard that extension following his significant role in the 2022 championship.
Finding a suitor to take on that final year of the contract may be easier said than done, particularly when Poole looks more like a microwave bench scorer than the lead guard he looked like developing into at the Warriors.
The 26-year-old is averaging 14.8 points and 3.1 assists in 27 games with the Pelicans this season, shooting only 37.3% from the floor and 33.8% from 3-point range. Poole is still capable of dynamic scoring performances, emphasized by 21 points in 22 minutes on 6-of-8 3-point shooting against the Orlando Magic earlier in the month.
However, Poole has also had multiple zero-point games this month, and most recently shot an abhorrent 4-of-17 (0-of-7 from 3-point range) in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. The consistency simply isn't there for a player on his contract, making a trade before the deadline unlikely despite the Pelicans willingness to move him on.