Behind the scenes after the incident with Draymond Green, the camp of Jordan Poole has been hesitant to extend their partnership with the Golden State Warriors.
Sources told Logan Murdock of The Ringer that several people within the circle of Poole are unwilling to let the promising guard of landing a rookie scale contract extension with the Warriors.
Pointed out by Murdock, Poole’s confidants believe that the team dynamics would be difficult to repair following the controversial punch of Green.
It turned out that the Golden State brass made their move, approaching Poole before Green’s reinstatement to sign a lucrative extension – which is too hard to reject on his side because of its near-$140MM value for four years.
Green’s escalation of the incident made headlines in the NBA and caused the Warriors to endure a turbulent late offseason fresh from their title run in the 2021-2022 campaign. As such, the veteran star acknowledged his wrongdoings and repeatedly admitted it for several occasions.
“I didn’t handle that well,” Green told reporters after the punch. “And I failed as a leader and, in turn, I failed as a man. I failed as a leader and, in turn, it’s led to this. And so for me personally, I have to take what comes with that. I have to deal with that and continue to better myself as I will. Like I said before, rebuild the trust and relationships in this locker room because ultimately that is what is most important to me. And making sure this team can come together and compete at the absolute highest level that we know we need to compete at to do what we’re setting out to do. And that goal doesn’t change.”
For Poole, business has to be continued amid the ongoing whispers around him and Green.
“If I said it, I meant it,” Poole said about his relationship with Green. “Like I said, we’re here to play basketball, and our teammates and coaching staff and the organization, everybody knows what it takes to win a championship. And when we get out there on that court, we all have one common goal. Get the job done, win as many games as we can, and try to repeat.”
As the Warriors are vying for a title repeat, the continuous healing of both sides will remain integral at the end of the day. For now, the case is slowly being turned down, with the new season officially open for them.
