In the midst of a champagne shower in the visiting locker room in Boston this past June, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins could barely contain their excitement for the financial security they earned after helping the Warriors win their first championship after two down years.
The two went back and forth telling one another they were about to get the bag until the slightly older Wiggins concluded: “We about to get a bag.”
He was proven right Saturday.
The Warriors agreed to a contract extension with Wiggins Saturday afternoon just hours after Poole secured his future with Golden State.
Poole got the bigger pay raise of the day, agreeing to a four-year extension that can earn him up to $140 million, league sources confirmed. Meanwhile, Wiggins is expected to sign a four-year deal worth up to $109 million with incentives.
Both deals, first reported by ESPN, won’t kick in until after this season. Poole is slated to earn $3.9 million during the 2022-23 campaign, while Wiggins is due $33.6 million.
Both players are now connected to Golden State for five years, further expanding the Warriors’ championship window. But that also comes with some serious financial concerns.
With the two extensions, the Warriors’ payroll for the 2023-24 season will be roughly $216 million for 12 players, according to Spotrac, and could push the luxury tax figure closer to $500 million.
The Warriors are expected to dish out a record-setting $359 million this season.
But that might just be the cost of remaining the most dominant team in the last decade.
The Warriors current roster consists of three different generations of talent. At 27, Wiggins is in the prime of his career, while 23-year-old Poole is entering it.
And there’s a lot to be excited for the potential Poole possesses.
Poole, the 28th pick in the 2019 draft, took a major developmental leap last season and seems poised to be even better as the Warriors’ sixth man in their title defense this year.
After spending some time in the G League trying to get his footing and work on every aspect of his game, Poole became one of the Warriors’ most reliable players last season as he exceeded expectations when tasked with filling in for both Klay Thompson and Steph Curry when they were injured.
Poole went from averaging 12 points during the 2020-21 season to 18.5 points last season. He had only one 30-point game in his first two NBA campaigns, but tallied 12 last season, including twice in the playoffs. He was also one of only five NBA players to have 17-or-more consecutive games with 20-plus points this season.
Meanwhile, Wiggins went from a top-pick bust to an indispensable piece on a championship-caliber team, revamping his career with the Warriors by becoming a dominant two-way wing after being the scapegoat in Minnesota for most of his career. He thrived in his supporting role as he wasn’t relied on to carry the team’s offensive load, though his defense has been a difference maker especially in this year’s playoffs.
Wiggins earned his first All-Star nod last season and averaged 17.2 points on 46.6% shooting overall and a career-best 39.3% from 3-point land. He also grabbed an average of 4.5 rebounds per game.
Wiggins played even better in the playoffs as the Warriors often relied on him to guard their opponent’s best shooter, including Jayson Tatum in the Finals series. Wiggins became a rebounding machine in the postseason, averaging 7.5 per game. He grabbed 10 or more boards six times in the playoffs and snatched a career-high 16 in Game 4 of the Finals
News of these deals comes just over a week after Draymond Green punched the fourth-year guard in the face at practice for unspecified reasons. In the wake of the incident, Poole’s coaches and teammates praised his demeanor and the way he handled the situation that caught a second wind when a video of the brutal punch was leaked.
Poole hasn’t spoken to the media since the altercation.
