When the Washington Wizards traded Jordan Poole to the New Orleans Pelicans during the offseason, it was presumed they'd learned the same lesson the Golden State Warriors had exactly two years earlier.
Yet that may not necessarily be the case, with the Wizards now emerging as a strong suitor to acquire star point guard Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks according to NBA insider Marc Stein on Monday.
Wizards fail to learn Jordan Poole lesson with latest Trae Young reports
Despite being a significant part of their championship team in 2022, then averaging over 20 points per game during the 2022-23 season, the Warriors acknowledged that, in today's CBA, they couldn't afford to pay Poole over $30 million per season.
Combine that with the obvious drama stemming from the infamous Poole-Draymond Green incident in the lead up to that 2022-23 season, Golden State felt compelled to move on from the young guard before his contract had even started.
Poole endured a horror first year with the Wizards where he was even moved back to the bench on a squad that went 15-67. He was much better last season in averaging a career-high 20.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, but even that didn't stop Washington from moving on in exchange for the expiring contract of veteran CJ McCollum.
Now McCollum could find himself on the move again in exchange for Young -- a player who could be described as simply a better, perhaps more controlled version of Poole. There's no doubt that Young is a superior player, but the Wizards could now face the very same issues that they now apparently didn't learn from in the Poole situation.
In an era where every dollar spent on the roster is more important than ever, paying big money to small guards who are a defensive liability, and who can be inefficient in their shot-making, isn't overly conducive to winning.
Both Young and Poole have drawn comparisons to Golden State superstar Stephen Curry when it comes to their dynamic offense and 3-point shooting, but the reality is that the 2x MVP is a one-of-one who can't so easily be replicated.
Do the Wizards, currently sitting at 9-25 on the season, really think that now is the time to pull off a massive trade? Even if they did, viewing Young as the piece to acquire and build around is certainly an interesting choice.
There's a reason why the Hawks are willing to move on from a player who was once their franchise cornerstone, and why the market for Young has been limited to this point. The Wizards, of all teams, should understand following the Poole experience, but it seems they haven't learned in a way that many fans around the league will only laugh at.