Jordan Poole had something of a coming out season with the Golden State Warriors this year. He averaged 18.5 points per game on 45 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc in his third season as a pro.
Often times in 2021-22, Poole looked to be the team’s second-best player.
Despite all that – Poole will make under $4 million next season. After that, he is set to become a restricted free agent.
Popular wisdom heading into the offseason was that he and the Warriors would figure something out this summer, but thus far that hasn’t materialized.
This week NBA insider Sean Deveney spoke to an Eastern Conference executive who suggested that there is one particular squad who may make a run at stealing Poole away next season.
“I’d watch out for the [Orlando] Magic to be ready to make an offer if he’s restricted, knowing there’s a good chance Golden State is not going to match,” one Eastern Conference executive told Deveney.
Drafting Paolo Banchero this year was obviously the first step in a multipronged plan by the Magic to re-establish some semblance of legitimacy.
Next season, with an arsenal of something like $60 million to spend, it would certainly make sense for the Magic to make a serious play for someone like Poole.
“They’re going to establish something with Paolo in the frontcourt, with his passing,” the Eastern Conference exec added. “But they’re going to need a top-level perimeter scorer, too. If you put Poole with Paolo and Franz Wagner, it’s an exciting young team.”
Beyond just being an ultra-talented player on the court, Poole is also a fun personality off it. Whether he is trying to impress 2 blondes sitting courtside or openly flirting with Malika Andrews on ESPN or just chilling with his girl – the man is a character.
Both Kenny Pickett and his girlfriend made quite the debut on Saturday. https://t.co/1mjsf9bUTe
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 14, 2022
And for a franchise like the Magic, which has been sorely lacking in general intrigue for the last few seasons, that’s huge.
Time will tell whether the Warriors will ultimately make a play to retain Poole.
But if they don’t, he would be a great fit in Orlando.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
