Jordan Poole is ready to leave the ugly parts of his time with the Golden State Warriors in the past.
Particularly his preseason spat with Draymond Green, who punched the budding star during a practice altercation. Coach Steve Kerr even went on to admit that the incident affected the Warriors' pursuit of a second-consecutive title.
But Poole seems to ready to move on and not let it affect him as he gets ready to start the next chapter of his career in the nation's capital with the Washington Wizards.
While meeting with the media Saturday, Poole dodged a question about the kerfuffle with Green, opting to voice his excitement to be with his new organization and get a fresh start.
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslaterJordan Poole asked about the impact of the Draymond Green incident on the end of his time with the Warriors: "We're in Washington now. Playing with Kuz. Great duo." <a href="https://t.co/HT9DAK7kjb">pic.twitter.com/HT9DAK7kjb</a>
"We're in Washington now," Poole said. "Playing with [Kyle Kuzma], great duo. Being able to really flourish, expand your game and help a new team. Help lead an entire group of guys, it's a challenge that we're up for.
"...Everybody's locked in, wants to be here, start something that we can have that can be special."
Poole was traded to Washington earlier in the offseason along with Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins in exchange for All-Star point guard Chris Paul, who was dealt to the Wizards just a couple of weeks before in the trade that sent Bradley Beal to the Suns.
The 24-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career in Golden State after being drafted in the first-round back in 2019 and turned into a key piece for the organization over the past several seasons, particularly during the Warriors' title run in 2022.
He averaged 17 points per game on 50.1 percent shooting from the field in that postseason, seemingly solidifying himself as a key part of the Warriors' future.
Poole then followed that up with the best regular season of his career last year, averaging a career-high 20.4 points per game to go along with 4.5 assists while mostly coming off the bench for 30 minutes a night.
But as Golden State looks to maximize its current championship window with Stephen Curry, they chose to surround the two-time MVP with more veteran talent, bringing in Paul and re-signing Green to a four-year, $100 million deal.
The trade came after a porous playoffs for Poole, who saw his numbers and minutes take a nosedive. He averaged just over 10 points per game on 34.1 percent shooting from the field and 25.4 percent from three-point range while also becoming a bit of a turnover machine at times.
It may have been for the best, however.
Now, Poole will have an opportunity to step into a much bigger role with the Wizards and will hopefully be a key piece in the organization's rebuild along with Kuzma and Tyus Jones, who they also acquired in a three-team deal with Memphis and Boston.
He'll be a top-two offensive option on the current roster and will be given every opportunity to flourish over the next several seasons.
"Exit" - Google News
July 09, 2023 at 09:57AM
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Jordan Poole on Impact of Draymond Green on Warriors Exit: 'We're in Washington Now' - Bleacher Report
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