Jordan Poole has ‘confidence we’ll work something out’ with his new contract

Sep 26, 2022 - 7:41 PM

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The Golden State Warriors have until the day before the season begins on October 18th to work out a rookie extension with Jordan Poole, but on media day, he didn’t seem all that stressed about it.

Poole would become a restricted free agent after this season if he doesn’t have an extension by October 18. When asked whether the unresolved contract situation weighed on his mind, Poole responded:

“I’ll have my reps handle this. I have the utmost faith and confidence that we’ll work something out, but I’m just here to play basketball.”

In his third season, Poole upped his scoring to 18.5 points per game, which included a streak of 17 straight games of 20 points or more. (He slipped all the way to 19 points in the 18th game) He started all five of the team’s first-round games against the Denver Nuggets, and led the NBA with a free throw percentage of 92.5%, just edging out Steph Curry. It’s clear Poole earned himself an extension; he and the team are just haggling over the price.

General manager Bob Myers says he plans to meet with Poole’s people after the team returns from their trip to Tokyo.

There’s no urgency on the Warriors’ side to get the deal done. The October 17 deadline puts some pressure on making a deal, but even if Poole goes into the season as an imminent free agent, the Warriors have the right to match any offer he receives next summer. That does open them up to facing a large offer from a competitor trying to poach him, much like the Trail Blazers did with Gary Payton II, or a “poison pill,” when a team sets onerous terms (bonus money, player options, etc.) on their offer sheet.

But at this point, the price point for Poole is relatively set. Anfernee Simons, also a 6’3” scoring point guard born in June of 1999, signed a four-year deal for $100 million. The Knicks gave 6’1” Jalen Brunson $104 million for four years. Now, if Poole continues to get better, that price might go up. It’s not clear what Poole is demanding, or what the Warriors have offered, but those deals are a good indicator of what a deal might look like. If Poole was willing to sign for something close to our slighlty below the Simons deal, the Warriors might decide to lock him in. With the salary cap going way up in the 2024-25 season, having Poole locked up through age 28 could be a huge bargain.

With Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green also potentially becoming free agents next summer, the team may simply prefer to keep their options for trades and signings open, barring Poole taking a discount to get long-term security. The Warriors may hesitate to pay all three of those free agents next summer and incur a massive luxury tax bill, but by letting Poole play out the fifth year of his rookie contract, they can postpone the decision until next July.

For Poole’s part, he’s proving he’s a true NBA veteran by at least acting like the contract negotiations are no big deal to him. “However we go into the season is however we go in, he told reporters. “I’m gonna play my game and continue to be me, and put everything forward to help us win games whatever the situation or circumstance is.”