NBA Analyst Blasts Wizards' Jordan Poole

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated 10/17/24

Christopher Katsarov-LAPRESSE

The Washington Wizards are clearly in rebuilding mode, so they should avoid bad contracts like the plague.

The problem is that they may already have one awful contract on their payroll.

Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus identified what he felt are the 10 worst contracts in the NBA heading into the 2024-25 campaign, and Wizards guard Jordan Poole—who will be making $29.7 million this season—made the list.

"Poole's stats seem to be empty calories on a bad team," Pincus wrote. "The key question Washington must ask itself: can his skill set ever translate to driving winning?"

Poole averaged 17.4 points and 4.4 assists over 30.1 minutes per game on 41.3/32.6/87.7 shooting splits last year. His counting numbers were decent, but as you can tell, his efficiency was not exactly top notch, and he is also a poor defender.

"The Golden State Warriors decided to let him go after overpaying him," Pincus continued. "The Wizards may not be able to quickly rehabilitate his trade value without sacrificing the development of their younger, developing players."

The Wizards acquired Poole in a trade that sent Chris Paul to the Warriors in July 2023. When Washington landed Poole, he was coming off of a season in which he registered a career-high 20.4 points per game. He was also moderately efficient, tallying a true-shooting percentage of 57.4 percent.

The Wizards were obviously hoping that the 25-year-old could further develop as a scorer in the nation's capital, but if anything, he has gone backward.

Poole is under contract through 2027 and will also earn $31.8 million in 2025-26 and $34 million in the final year of his deal. Given his production in comparison to his salary, finding a viable trade partner for the University of Michigan product will be a difficult task.

Perhaps Poole will have a stronger year this season.

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