Former Warriors guard featured on unwanted list entering 2024-25 season

For the first time in five years, the Golden State Warriors won't feature among the league's highest payrolls after hardcapping themselves below the first tax apron during the offseason.

The Warriors have done well to balance their books entering this season, with only superstar guard Stephen Curry making above $26.3 million. The franchise has rearranged their payroll through a number of moves, but most notably in their decision to trade Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards last year.

Former Warriors guard Jordan Poole remains with one of the worst contracts in the league

It's now two years since Golden State signed Poole to a four-year, $128 million contract extension -- one that was seen as appropriate at the time for an explosive young guard who'd just been a key part of a championship team.

Yet after a turbulent 2022-23 season that finished with Poole being almost unplayable in the playoffs, the Warriors sent him to Washington even before the deal began, receiving the expiring contract of Chris Paul in the process.

To this point moving off Poole has been the right decision, albeit we could debate if Golden State should have tried to get someone other than Paul in return. Poole's first season with the Wizards didn't go to plan, and now his contract has been ranked as the fourth-worst in the league according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

The Golden State Warriors decided to let him go after overpaying him," Pincus wrote. "The Wizards may not be able to quickly rehabilitate his trade value without sacrificing the development of their younger, developing players."

Poole should still be seen as a developing player though, and it appears the Wizards are ready to give the keys to the 25-year-old to see if he can rediscover the kind of form that once made him one of the league's most exciting young guards.

Poole hasn't quite delivered on that so far in preseason, having averaged 10.5 points in 22.8 minutes on 37.5% shooting from the floor and 18.2% from three-point range. The former first-round pick is also averaging 3.3 assists per game, while the Wizards are a paltry 61 points worse than their opposition in the 91 minutes Poole has been on the floor.

No current Golden State player featured in Pincus' top 10, though Andrew Wiggins may have been close after a career-worst season in 2023-24. 3x All-Star Ben Simmons was ranked as having the worst contract in the league entering this season, while Chicago Bulls duo Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine were also ahead of Poole to round out the top three.