It was a rough season for former Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole in his first year at the New Orleans Pelicans, with one last blow in the final game all but sealing his fate as a likely trade candidate again this summer.
Having dropped an efficient 34 points and four assists in a victory only two games earlier, Poole was shockingly axed from the rotation again by interim head coach James Borrego in the regular season finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jordan Poole's latest rotation axing all but seals trade fate
Poole's DNP on Sunday was the 24th he's received in the past 35 games, further signalling a downfall that's been truly sad and disappointing since he was dealt by the Warriors in a controversial trade that landed them Chris Paul nearly three years ago.
The 26-year-old not being able to garner minutes on a lowly Pelicans team who finished 26-56 and 11th in the Western Conference is surprising enough, let alone shortly after a 30-point outburst and with all four of Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray and Herb Jones on the sidelines.
Poole's 34-point, four-assist performance had come against the lowly Utah Jazz, but it was still a reminder of his scoring capabilities as he went 12-of-23 shooting from the floor and 7-of-16 from 3-point range.
His performance three days later in the penultimate game of the season was disappointing, going for only 11 points, three rebounds and three assists on 3-of-10 shooting in nearly 29 minutes against the Boston Celtics.
Not getting any minutes on Sunday though is a sure fire sign that Poole is set to become a trade candidate again, having completed his first season at the Pelicans appearing in only 39 games.
Pelicans may not be able to get off from Jordan Poole
Entering next season on an expiring contract, Poole should theoretically be more tradeable than he would have been prior to February's mid-season deadline. However, with a $34.4 million deal still in place, it's hard to see too many rival teams being thrilled with taking that on unless they're incentivized with draft capital, or if the Pelicans take on an alternative bad contract.
Poole wound up averaging 13.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season, shooting only 37.2% from the floor and 33.3% from 3-point range while ranking last on the Pelicans in plus-minus.
It's arguably been the worst year of Poole's career since his rookie season with Golden State, leaving New Orleans with immense regret over their decision to acquire the 2022 champion from the Washington Wizards less than 12 months ago.
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