The Washington Wizards acquired Jordan Poole this summer in one of the biggest free agency moves of the year.
Poole, of course, was fresh off winning a championship with the Golden State Warriors two years ago and receiving a four-year, $123 million contract for his troubles.
Unfortunately, issues with Warriors players and coaches ultimately led to his time with the organization coming to an abrupt conclusion. From there, Washington stepped in as a landing spot for him.
This week, NBA insider Marc Stein openly presented the question of whether the Wizards brought Poole in to build up his value and trade him or if they see him as “a cornerstone player of their post-Bradley Beal future.”
Stein then answered his own question.
“My sense, from speaking to various league observers, is that more believe it is the former rather than the latter with Poole in Year 1 of a four-year, $123 million contract,” he wrote.
Already, issues with Poole’s time in D.C. are presenting themselves. This week, a video went viral showcasing 28 seconds of him having a bad attitude and looking confused on the Wizards bench.
Moreover, the team isn’t any better with Poole than it was without him. Currently the Wizards are 2-9 through 11 games and Poole hasn’t done anything of note individually. He is averaging 16.2 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting. Both numbers are down from last year.
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Poole certainly has some brand name recognizability. His dalliances with Ice Spice, the way he balls out when he sees blondes sitting courtside and the way he deals with women in general has turned him into a popular character.
The problem is that the jury is still out on him as a baller.
Will Poole be able to pump fresh life into his career throughout the rest of this Wizards season? Or will he continue to degrade his stock as he has for the past couple of years? One way or the other, an answer will emerge soon enough.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
