Even in the dead center of the offseason and with activity slowing down around the league, things are going from bad to worse for Golden State Warriors champion Jordan Poole at the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans have seemingly pushed Poole closer to the exit door with the signing of Bennedict Mathurin on Wednesday. The acquisition of the former sixth overall pick adds another young, ball-dominant player to the New Orleans roster, likely decreasing Poole's chances of a return to a primary role this season.
Bennedict Mathurin signing pushes Jordan Poole closer to exit door
After appearing in only 39 games and spending parts of last season out of the rotation, Poole already faced an uphill battle to earn significant minutes and command a high usage role even despite the hope of having a new coach in Jahmahl Mosley.
That uphill battle just became even steeper with Mathurin added to the mix. While far from the exact kind of player Poole is, Mathurin is a younger piece who wants the ball in his hands to be effective. If anything the concerns surrounding him relate to being one dimensional as a scorer above all else, which is a similar problem with Poole who's seen his role and reputation plummet as a result.
The Pelicans are again left with this confusing assortment of players who within themselves are quite talented on paper, yet don't exactly fit together and will likely leave them as a bottom five team in the Western Conference for what would be a third consecutive season.
Between Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, Saddiq Bey and now Mathurin, Poole appears well down the offensive pecking order and with little opportunity to work his way up.
Pelicans have a decision to make with Jordan Poole
The Mathurin move only adds more validity to the idea that New Orleans should consider a Poole buyout as he enters the season on a $34 million expiring contract. The Pelicans also have 16 players under contract after signing Mathurin, meaning they'll need to make a trade, waive the non-guaranteed contract of Trendon Watford, or execute a buyout with another player to fallback to the 15-player maximum.
It's nigh on impossible to see another team trading for Poole even on an expiring contract, meaning the Pelicans face the same problem the Dallas Mavericks recently did with Klay Thompson. The Mavericks eventually conceded no trade was fortcoming, agreeing to a buyout with the Warrior legend which allowed him to join the Miami Heat as a free agent.
A Poole-Golden State reunion would be doubtful even if he did secure a buyout, not only due to the Draymond Green factor but also because the Warriors just signed a similar offensive-minded guard in Brandon Williams on Tuesday.
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