If there's such an outcome as making a succesful trade yet still missing a player, that's exactly what the Golden State Warriors have experienced three years on from sending Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards.
The decision to part ways with Poole before even starting his four-year, $128 million contract has undoubtedly been proven the right call, but the Warriors still completely lack the kind of dynamic shot-creation and off-the-dribble offensive juice that the now 26-year-old once provided them.
Warriors still miss Jordan Poole despite trade success
Poole's career has basically taken a downhill turn from the moment he signed the four-year extension. Once seen as the future of Golden State, his fourth year with the franchise convinced the front office to move on despite averaging over 20 points per game.
The former first-round pick then spent two years with the lowly Washington Wizards where he put up some numbers, but it was inefficient at times and was ultimately rather meaningless considering where the franchise was at.
There was optimism Poole could contribute to winning again when he was moved to the New Orleans Pelicans last offseason, only to suffer arguably his most disappointing year since being drafted by the Warriors in 2019.
Poole appeared in just 39 games for the Pelicans and was out of James Borrego's rotation completely for significant periods of the season, leaving his future at the franchise in a lot of doubt as he enters the final year of his deal.
It's impossible to see the Warriors exploring interest in a Poole reunion this summer while he's still owed $34 million, but there's an argument to be made that he's the exact type of player they should be targeting.
Warriors need more dynamic offensive players on their current roster
Golden State have built a specific roster to fit around Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, but one that simply wasn't ready to withstand both their stars being sidelined over the final months of the regular season. In fairness, not too many teams can defy losing their best two players, but the nature of the Warrior roster led to some very uninspiring basketball and particularly offensively.
With Curry 38-years-old and Butler still expected to miss a chunk of next season recovering from his torn ACL, Golden State need to be open to acquiring a Poole-like player who, while inefficient at times, can offer some offensive creativity and shot-making that they now fail to possess.
In an alternate universe Poole would have still been with the Warriors to pick up the slack, making for even more disappointment to see how his career has panned out over recent seasons.
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