Golden State Warriors have been a modern-day dynasty in the NBA. They have won four championships in nine years. They were also the defending champions heading toward the 2022-23 season. As usual, Stephen Curry was carrying the team with his incredible three-point shootings and big scores almost every game. Players like Draymond Green were not at their best last season. Even then, the Warriors extended his contract this offseason for multi-years. However, they were not so kind to Jordan Poole.
The Golden State Warriors traded Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards in the current offseason. In exchange, they signed Chris Paul last month. Moreover, it was a controversial decision. Many fans and experts criticized this move. Jordan Poole is an emerging star. On the other hand, Chris Paul is a veteran in the twilight and declining stage of his career. People have different opinions on this controversial move, but Charles Barkley gave his viewpoint. The original American Dream Team member mentioned that the Warriors had lost all interest in the emerging star point guard.
Charles Barkley Suggests Warriors Trade Poole Because They Hate Him
Recently, Barkley spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area for an interview. He expressed that the decision surprised him too. But Charles Barkley told himself that the Warriors must really hate the kid. Moreover, if Draymond Green had an ego problem with Jordan Poole, the Golden States would not risk it. They don’t want to trade Green. Hence, they gave up on the emerging star. Jordan Poole could have been the future star for the franchise representing the state of San Francisco. Moreover, what Barkley said can sound similar to what Logan Murdock of The Ringer mentioned on the show, The Bill Simmons podcast.
It was earlier in July Murdock mentioned that almost all the senior players in the Golden State Warriors had some sort of a problem with Jordan Poole. In fact, Klay Thompson mentioned before that Poole does not pass the ball. Instead, Poole prefers to shoot the ball too often. However, this kid played a crucial role in the success of the Warriors in 2021-22. Later, the front office of the Warriors showed interest in extending his contract for four years worth $128 million. Last season, Poole maintained an average of 20.4 ppg, 4.5 apg. He performed better than the season when he helped the Warriors win their fourth title. Hence, Charles Barkley feels this move to the Wizards should help him grow to be a better player.
The Nasty Fight Between Poole And Green Had Its Impact In This Offseason
Apparently, the trio of Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson has been the team’s main strength all these years. But early in the season, Green had a nasty fight with Jordan Poole, who was also an integral part of the team during the training session. Later, someone in the Warriors group leaked the footage. It was not a good sign for either of the two players.
However, things went bad to worse when the Los Angeles Lakers blew the Golden State Warriors away in Round 2. It was humiliating for Curry’s team to end their campaign in the playoffs before reaching the conference finals. An ugly fight early in the season and a humiliating way to end the edition had to have some repercussions. Moreover, the Warriors decided to extend Draymond Green’s contract to multi-year.