The problems between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole were very public but issues Poole had with other teammates remained relatively under wraps, until now.
Sure, Poole wasn’t ever the most popular player in the locker room but the overall sentiment was that he was well-liked by his Warriors teammates.
The Ringer’s Logan Murdock has revealed that Poole only had few allies on the team, which included Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.
As for everyone else, there was a noticeable rift. Including with the veterans like Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.
“I don’t remember the last time somebody got traded before their rookie extension kicks in,” Murdock said on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “He was isolated from the group, right?
“All the established guys had some version of a problem with Jordan Poole, whether it was Klay ironically saying that Jordan doesn’t pass the ball enough and shoots too much. And then you have Draymond, who sees Jordan as this guy, is like: ‘Yeah, I did punch him. I did do all these things, but now I don’t have a voice within the locker room because of what happened.’ … And then you have Steph who is trying to bring all of this together.”
Less than two weeks after the Green-Poole punching incident, Poole signed a four-year $140 million extension but that was the highlight of his season.
Golden State’s coach Steve Kerr admitted the punch compromised things and that “trust was lost” when he was asked about in his exit interview.
The incident clearly affected Poole and it stayed with him right up to the postseason, where he had a forgettable run.
Unfortunately for Poole, his lackluster performances and the whole punching thing saw him come off second-best.
Draymond signed a four-year $100 million dollar contract with the Warriors after becoming a free agent, so it’s clear who the franchise values more.
The team also seems to be prioritising veterans over young talent and the signing of Chris Paul has made that even more clear.
The upcoming season will show whether the Warriors’ issues have been solved without Poole on the roster.