From NBA champs to adversaries: Jordan Poole and Draymond Green's history
On Tuesday, Jordan Poole and Draymond Green will face off for the first time as opponents since Poole was traded in June 2023. The Golden State Warriors acquired veteran guard Chris Paul and redirected Poole to the Washington Wizards.
Although the Warriors and Wizards played each other already this season on Dec. 22, 2023, Green was still serving an indefinite suspension after hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Dec. 12.
Here’s a look at how Poole and Green’s history developed over the years as teammates and in the months following the trade.
The rookie and the veteran
When Poole first arrived at Golden State, his locker was next to Green’s. Poole and Green played for the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans respectively, two college teams that are bitter rivals.
Green voiced his opinion on Poole in April 2022 on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.”
“Jordan, as we all know, went to the school down the highway from Michigan State University,” Green said. “No need to mention the school’s name, but I absolutely hated him. I mean, he played against Michigan State. Like, ‘Get this kid out of here.'”
Rivalry aside, Green commended Poole’s fearlessness.
“I’ve never seen him back down in a moment, and that dates back to then,” Green said. “Like, I’d never seen him shy away from a moment. He wants all of those moments.”
Poole’s development
Throughout his tenure with the Warriors, Poole improved year after year.
In his second year in the league, Poole averaged 12 points per game on 43.2% shooting and 35.1% from 3-point range in limited minutes off the bench.
During the regular season of the Warriors’ 2021-22 championship run, he averaged 18.5 points per game while shooting 44.8% from the field, 36.5% from 3-point range and 92.5% from the free throw line.
When Stephen Curry was still recovering from a sprained ligament on his left ankle before the 2022 playoffs began, the Warriors looked to Poole to fill Curry’s shoes.
Green praised Poole’s development during the 2022 playoffs.
“The first two playoff games, that’s a different thing,” Green said. “Like, that’s a totally different beast. And not to be confused, he’s out there running alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. That right there is intimidating in itself. You start talking [about] playoff basketball.”
The championship and contract extension
Following the Warriors’ championship season, the biggest question mark heading into the offseason was about contracts and how the Warriors could keep their key contributors.
Poole — who was still on his rookie deal — was eligible for a max contract extension. However, because of the salary cap rules, the Warriors were limited as to whom they could spend their money on in the offseason. They gave Poole a four-year, $140 million extension, while extending Andrew Wiggins‘ salary to a four-year, $109 million extension.
This gave Golden State little room to maneuver because of the Warriors’ luxury bill.
Where it fell apart
On Oct. 5, 2022, Green punched Poole during training camp. Prior to the punch, the two were exchanging words.
Green voluntarily stepped away from the team following the incident and apologized to Poole.
The aftermath
Following the incident, Poole and Green both addressed what happened.
Green talked to the media on Oct. 8 saying that he would step away from the team. The Warriors fined Green but Poole thought it was unnecessary to suspend Green, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears.
Green also apologized to the team during the news conference.
Poole spoke on the incident during a news conference on Oct. 16.
“[Draymond] apologized, and we plan on handling ourselves that way,” Poole said. “We’re going to play basketball. Everybody in the locker room knows what it takes to win a championship, and we’re going to do that on the court. That’s really all I have to say on the matter.”
In July 2023, Green provided his take on what happened while appearing on “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone.”
“I don’t just hit people,” Green said. “Dialogue of course happens over time and you usually ain’t just triggered by something, like that fast, to that degree.
“Ain’t nobody on my team triggering me in an instant. You know, we know stuff that you don’t say amongst men. We know things you have to stand on.”
Golden State’s efforts to repeat as champions fell short after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Warriors traded Poole during the offseason.
Poole’s warm welcome back to Chase Center
On Dec. 22, 2023, while Green was still serving an indefinite suspension after the Nurkic incident, Poole and the Wizards played the Warriors in San Francisco.
For the first time, Poole entered Chase Center as an opponent. Although his exit was “unfortunate,” his former teammates displayed no hard feelings.
Thompson, Gary Payton II, Wiggins and Curry all came over to say hello to Poole during his warmup routine.
The Warriors also gave Poole a tribute video.
#DubNation, join us in welcoming Jordan Poole back to Warriors Ground 👏 pic.twitter.com/vn9vroIdqp
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 23, 2023
