The Golden State Warriors roster looks largely set for this coming season, and if anything, it looks like they will be an even better team than they were this past season when they won the NBA championship.
But a couple of roster decisions are looming: contract extensions for Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.
Wiggins has one year left on his contract, and he could command a max salary, especially since he was a starter in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.
Some have speculated the Warriors may have to trade him simply to prevent adding to their massive luxury tax bill.
Poole may be an easier situation, as he isn’t an All-Star and is currently on a modest rookie salary.
But there is a sense of urgency with Poole that isn’t really there with Wiggins.
“There’s no rush on the Warriors reaching an extension with Andrew Wiggins,” wrote Jack Winter of Clutch Points. “He’s eligible for an updated contract through the upcoming season. Poole, by contrast, only has until the day before tipoff of 2022-23 to reach an extension with Golden State. He’ll otherwise be a restricted free agent next summer.”
Of course, it would be easier and better to get Poole signed sometime this summer or in early October, as it may become more expensive to do so next summer.
Poole Has Become An Integral Part Of The Warriors
Poole, a native of the Midwest, was the 28th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, just as the Warriors’ dynasty was seemingly becoming unhinged.
Kevin Durant left that summer, Klay Thompson had just suffered an ACL injury and the team has little to no young depth left.
When Stephen Curry missed most of the 2019-20 campaign with a broken metacarpal bone, it provided the Warriors the perfect opportunity to take advantage of a gap year.
Poole didn’t do much that year as a rookie, but the following season, he started to show his potential as a scoring threat off the bench.
Jordan Poole:
☑️ In-and-out move
☑️ Shifty handles
☑️ Great finishes
☑️ Crossover and step back
☑️ Speed pic.twitter.com/0PkYpwsCwJ— SplashBrosMuse (@SplashBrosMuse) July 3, 2022
In doing so, he became part of an emerging group of viable young role players who would help the Warriors reach the mountaintop again.
This past season, Poole averaged 18.5 points a game while becoming a solid 3-point shooter, and he upped his game in the playoffs, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from 3-point range in 22 contests.
Top 20 scorers against top-5 defenses last year. What stands out? pic.twitter.com/9dskaXgmys
— NBA University (@NBA_University) July 23, 2022
He has also shown some ability to make plays for others by averaging 4.0 assists a game during the regular season and 3.8 assists a game in the postseason.
Losing him would be a pretty significant blow to the Warriors’ bench.
What Is Fair Market Value For Poole?
Unlike Wiggins, Poole shouldn’t be too expensive to retain, but owner Joe Lacob will still need to open up his wallet enough.
For a comparison, guard Malik Monk averaged an efficient 13.8 points per game and 2.9 assists this past season while playing 1.9 fewer minutes a game than Poole.
Monk may also be a somewhat worse defender than Poole, yet he got a two-year, $19 million deal for the Sacramento Kings a few weeks ago.
That could perhaps set Poole’s value at around $12-15 million a year.
The great thing about Lacob and the rest of the Warriors’ ownership group is that they have extremely deep pockets and therefore, they’re better equipped than most other teams to keep their own players while paying them a competitive salary in order to maintain a dynastic team year after year.
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