The Golden State Warriors decision to move on from Jordan Poole 2.5 years ago has once again made headlines in the past 24 hours, largely thanks to the fact the Washington Wizards have been able to eventually parlay that deal into the acquisition of 4x All-Star Trae Young.
But it's also been mentioned by the Warriors themselves, with head coach Steve Kerr admitting some regret at the trade prior to Wednesday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks. That emanates not from what Poole has done in the years since, but for the thrilling and surprise rise of Ryan Rollins who was viewed as an afterthought when the trade initially went down on draft day in 2023.
Steve Kerr admits regret at Jordan Poole-Chris Paul trade
While Golden State have been vindicated for moving on from Poole given he's proven an inconsistent player making over $30 million per season, the Rollins piece has come back to bite them after drafting the 6'3" guard with the 44th overall pick in 2022.
Speaking prior to facing Rollins again on Wednesday night, Steve Kerr admitted that the Warriors wouldn't have made the trade had they envisioned Rollins becoming this good.
"This happens pretty often where guys get tossed into a trade and obviously, if we had seen this coming, we wouldn't have made that trade. He's playing great and so we're happy for him," Kerr said.
“Obviously, if we had seen this coming, we wouldn't have made that trade.”
— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) January 8, 2026
Steve Kerr is thrilled that Ryan Rollins, former Warriors draft pick, is having a great season with the Bucks. pic.twitter.com/Vn1DedW2z6
Rollins has been one of the most improved players in the NBA this season, having taken hold of a starting role in Milwaukee in his fourth year in the league. The 23-year-old is averaging 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals this season, remarkably up from 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.8 steals in 56 games a year ago.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect to Rollins' game has been the efficiency, having shot 48.2% from the floor and 42.1% from 3-point range on nearly six attempts per game. It's remarkable to think that of the glut of guards Golden State have on their roster currently, Rollins would be the best of them (outside Stephen Curry obviously) given his two-way impact.
Would Rollins have ever developed like this with the Warriors though? Probably not. He was such a low value piece at the time that a Poole-Paul trade may still have gone through, even if the front office had been adamant on keeping Rollins.
Still, it's hard not to think about the impact that trade made on Young now arriving in Washington, while Rollins becomes a legitimate starter in Milwaukee and Poole struggles to deliver consistent impact in New Orleans.