Controversial Trade The Golden State Warriors Should Consider
On Wednesday evening, the Golden State Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center for Game 5 of their second-round playoff series.
The defending NBA Champions come into the night down 3-1, so a loss would end the series.
In the NBA Playoffs, everything is magnified, and the struggles of Jordan Poole have been highly critiqued.
The former Michigan star helped lead the franchise to the 2022 NBA Championship over the Boston Celtics and averaged 20.4 points per contest during the 2023 regular season (he's also been available for every game).
That said, Poole has averaged just 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest while shooting 34.2% from the field and 27.8% from the three-point range during the NBA Playoffs.
Over the summer, I believe the Warriors should try to make a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to exchange Poole for three-time NBA All-Star center Rudy Gobert.
Why?
The Warriors have arguably the best backcourt in NBA history with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Despite their age (Thompson is 33 and Curry is 35), they are both playing at an extremely high level.
During the regular season, the future Hall of Famers averaged a combined 51.3 points per contest.
Therefore, there is a lack of need for Poole's abilities that would be much better suited elsewhere.
One thing the Warriors need is size.
Their tallest player is just 6'9", and they ranked 25th in the league in blocks per contest (4.0) during the regular season.
For reference, Gobert has won three Defensive Player of The Year Awards and has a career average of 2.1 blocks per contest.
The biggest reason a potential deal would make sense is Poole and Gobert both have massive contracts.
Therefore, the Warriors and Timberwolves could swap deals that are holding them back.
Gobert has two years (and a player option) left on his contract worth over $130 million.
As for Poole, he will have a four-year, $128 million extension kick in next season.
Gobert will make over $13 million more than Poole next season, so the Warriors would have to give up another player (or two).
The Warriors are coming to the end of their dynasty (they have made the NBA Finals six times in the previous eight seasons), but getting veterans over young players should still be the priority while Curry is on the team.
Gobert is going into his tenth season in the league and has played in 54 NBA Playoff games, while Poole is only 23 years old and in his fourth season.
In addition, the Timberwolves are building around Anthony Edwards (21) and Karl-Anthony Towns (27) so Poole fits more in line with their career trajectory.
While it's doubtful, a hypothetical deal is something the two franchises should consider.
