The NBA Draft is in roughly a week and the Golden State Warriors have some decisions to make. The Warriors hold the 19th overall pick and with a new regime in place led by Mike Dunleavy Jr., there’s plenty to sort out.
Most prominent among the questions are what to do with Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga.
Both fell out of favor in the playoffs and the Warriors will be deep into the luxury tax by keeping both and Draymond Green. Would they trade Poole?
Marcus Thompson of The Athletic doesn’t think so. Much of that, he believes, has to do with the major risk associated with trading Poole when his value is as low as ever.
“I don’t think they can trade Jordan Poole right now,” Thompson said. “I think selling low is gonna be hard. If you’re Mike Dunleavy or Kirk Lacob and you just got this gig and your first move is trade Jordan Poole, what if you don’t get good value back and what if he blows up? That’s how you want to start it? Bob Myers could probably get away with it because he’s got four rings and it’s his fault in the first place — for signing him to the deal.”
Thompson just isn’t sure what the Warriors could get back that would convincingly improve them over what Poole provides.
At this point, he thinks it makes more sense to keep him:
It might just be smarter to continue to bank on him and develop him because I just don’t know what the value is.
You might have to pair him [in a trade] with somebody like Kuminga, and now you’re like ‘Yo, you you’re giving up two pieces?’ Now you’ve really got to nail that deal. Because if you give up Poole and Kuminga and what you get back don’t pop, now it’s pitchforks at Chase Center.
From what I’m hearing, the expectation is there won’t be a major trade. They want to make it work with those guys.
Poole is set to begin the first year of his four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors next season. He’s slated to make $27.46 million.
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