The false Jordan Poole rumor was pure offseason nonsense, but it landed on exactly the kind of idea Warriors fans can’t help but chase right now.
An X/Twitter account posted that the New Orleans Pelicans had decided to waive Poole and that Golden State was among the teams keeping an eye on a possible reunion. The claim picked up nearly one million impressions, even though it was fake. Still, the very fact that it spread so quickly says a lot about where the Warriors are this summer: quiet, thin on movement, and still without a single rival free-agent signing.
And as far-fetched as the report was, the basketball logic behind a Poole return is not completely crazy.
Poole’s season in New Orleans was uneven. He spent a significant stretch outside the Pelicans’ rotation and finished with 37.2% shooting from the floor and 33.3% from 3-point range. His $34 million salary on an expiring deal also makes a trade difficult to pull off, which is why some analysts have already floated the possibility of a buyout.
If Poole did become available, Golden State would have a real reason to look hard. The Warriors need offense, especially with Jimmy Butler sidelined by injury, and Poole still brings a kind of off-the-dribble creation that nobody else on the roster can really match outside Stephen Curry. The fit with Draymond Green would be its own issue, but the talent is easy to understand.
There’s also the human angle. Poole’s career has gone sideways since his time in Golden State, and a return to the place that helped make him could carry its own appeal if he sees that as his best route back into relevance.
That said, a buyout in New Orleans still looks unlikely. If interim head coach James Borrego had landed the full-time job, moving on from Poole would have made more sense given how often he was out of the rotation.
But with Jahmahl Mosley now taking over, the Pelicans may want to see whether a new voice can unlock something in Poole during his second season with the team. If that doesn’t work, a trade or buyout closer to the mid-season deadline could come back into play.
Poole’s numbers last season were modest - 13.4 points and 3.1 assists per game - especially compared with the year before, when he put up a career-high 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 37.8% from 3-point range with the Washington Wizards.
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