Wizards guard Jordan Poole spoke to reporters on Saturday, during which he discussed the trade that brought him to Washington D.C. from the Warriors.
Poole, whom Golden State GM Mike Dunleavy had indicated was going to remain with the team throughout his four-year contract before trading him just a few days later, was dealt to the Wizards in a blockbuster deal that sent Chris Paul to the Warriors.
When discussing the trade, Poole admitted he was “kind of prepared” to be offloaded during the offseason.
“I talked to my agent. Draft day, you know, a lot of moves happen on draft day. Kind of was preparing that something would happen,” said Poole, via Jason Dumas. “Got a call that the trade went down later that day, later on draft night. It is what it is.”
Jordan Poole says he was “kind of” prepared to get traded. pic.twitter.com/6RyVMg23tx
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) July 8, 2023
The full trade saw the Wizards acquire Poole, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr., a protected 2030 first-round pick and a ’27 second-round pick in exchange for Paul.
Poole agreed to a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors in October of 2022, who traded him before the first year of the deal. Poole will make $27.45 million next season and is under contract through the 2026-27 season.
He figures to have a bigger role in Washington, where he’ll aim to form a tandem with Kyle Kuzma, who re-signed with the franchise in free agency this offseason, also for four years.
