Grading Jordan Poole's $140M Extension With Golden State
Jordan Poole won’t be leaving San Francisco any time soon. Poole, 23, agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension Saturday, his agents told ESPN. The former first-round pick is coming off the best season of his career, having averaged 18.5 points and 4.0 assists per game in 2022. Poole started 51 games for Golden State last year, and started five more times in the playoffs, during which he averaged 17.0 points a night to aid the Warriors’ title run. Let’s grade the deal for Golden State.
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Grade: A
This is really a home run move for the Dubs. Poole’s scoring and shooting prowess—36.4% from three on 7.6 attempts a night last season—would have made him a hot commodity had he reached free agency. This type of contract offer was coming for Poole no matter what; it was only a matter if the Warriors wanted to present it themselves, or wait for someone else to do it first so they could match. And at this price, Poole is probably worth more to the Dubs than any other team. He’s a fantastic offensive fit next to Stephen Curry, which he proved when he started most of last year in Klay Thompson’s absence.
And frankly, it doesn’t make sense to compare Poole’s contract to comparable players. For example, would Poole command $20 million more on the open market than Tyler Herro? It doesn’t matter, because Golden State’s front office has deep pockets and is willing to spend. As long as the Warriors are scoffing at the luxury tax, they don’t need to worry about squeezing every last dollar of value out of the contracts they sign.
Signing Poole is still not a luxury, however. It’s possible Draymond Green (who, uh, punched Poole earlier this month) is not back on the team next season. Klay Thompson’s contract is up in 2024, and it’s difficult to project his career forward after two major injuries limited him last season. Poole can play alongside Curry as the latter ages and serve as the bridge to whatever the next iteration of the Warriors is, provided the other younger players develop as well. For now, even if he needs to work on his individual defense, Poole will be an important contributor during the Dubs’ title defense. And his role should only grow bigger during the life of the contract.
