As the NBA trade deadline creeps closer, the Golden State Warriors are reportedly keeping their eyes open for roster upgrades-but it’s not just the Bay Area making moves. Former Warrior Jordan Poole, now with the New Orleans Pelicans, is once again surfacing in trade chatter. And if he’s moved, it would mark his third team in less than three years.
Poole’s current stint in New Orleans hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. After being traded from the Warriors to the Wizards-and then flipped to the Pelicans-he’s now back in a bench role, a far cry from the breakout guard who helped fuel Golden State’s 2022 title run. The shift has been jarring, and it’s left Poole in a familiar place: on the trade block.
According to a recent report, the Pelicans are open to moving Poole ahead of the deadline. While New Orleans is reportedly committed to keeping key wings Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, and still holding firm on Zion Williamson despite his rollercoaster tenure with the franchise, Poole doesn't seem to be off-limits.
NBA insider Jake Fischer noted that both Poole and Jose Alvarado are among the names being floated in trade discussions. Interestingly, it’s rookie big man Yves Missi who's reportedly drawing the most attention from potential suitors, but Poole’s name is still very much in play.
Here’s the tricky part: Poole’s contract. He’s in the third year of a four-year, $128 million deal, with one more season left at $34 million.
That kind of number is tough to move-especially when the production doesn’t match the price tag. When the Warriors gave him that extension, they were betting on a rising star.
But since then, Poole has struggled to consistently deliver the kind of impact expected of a player on that kind of deal.
This season with the Pelicans, Poole is averaging 14.8 points and 3.1 assists over 27 games. On paper, those numbers aren’t awful, but the efficiency tells a different story: he’s shooting just 37.3% from the field and 33.8% from deep. That’s a tough sell for a team looking for reliable scoring off the bench-or even more so, a starting-caliber guard.
That said, the flashes are still there. Earlier this month, Poole dropped 21 points in just 22 minutes against the Magic, hitting six of his eight shots from beyond the arc.
It was the kind of performance that reminds you why teams once saw star potential in him. But those moments have been few and far between.
He’s also had multiple games this month where he failed to score at all, and most recently, he went 4-of-17 from the field-including 0-of-7 from three-in a loss to the Pistons.
Inconsistency has been the theme, and for a player on a deal of that magnitude, it’s a tough pill to swallow. The Pelicans may be open to dealing him, but finding a team willing to take on that contract-especially with another year left-won’t be easy.
Still, the NBA trade deadline has a way of shaking things loose. Teams in need of scoring punch off the bench might take a swing, hoping a change of scenery could reignite the version of Poole that once helped the Warriors hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. But for now, he remains in limbo-caught between past potential and present uncertainty.