In 2022, Jordan Poole emerged as a rising star for the Golden State Warriors, playing a pivotal role in their NBA championship victory. At just 22 years old, Poole showcased his potential, averaging 17.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting an impressive 50.8% from the field during the playoff run. Many saw him as a potential third “Splash Brother” alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, poised to carry the Warriors’ dynasty into the future.
However, the promise of Poole’s bright future with Golden State took a dramatic turn just months after the championship. On October 5, 2022, an infamous incident occurred during a team practice when Draymond Green punched Poole, fracturing their relationship and setting the stage for Poole’s eventual departure from the team. The fallout from this altercation is often cited as the primary reason for Poole’s exit, but new insights reveal that tensions with another Warriors star, Klay Thompson, also played a significant role.
According to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, speaking on the “Tom Tolbert Show,” Thompson was uncomfortable with Poole’s ambition to take his starting spot in the lineup. “They had to move off of Jordan for two reasons, well, Draymond and Klay,” Kawakami explained. “I’ve heard this more and more that Klay was not comfortable with this guy pushing him. And Klay thought, ‘I’ve earned this starting role. Why is this guy keeps saying he should be the starter?'”
Kawakami noted that Poole’s confidence, while not always expressed publicly, was evident in how he carried himself, creating tension within the team. “And that’s fine for a young player, but they couldn’t keep that guy that got punched by Draymond, not his fault, and who was making things tense with Klay,” he added.
Klay was “uncomfortable” with Jordan Poole pushing for a starting role đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/AjnwHwoEQw
— dre (@OnBallSteph) May 28, 2025
Poole’s performance in the 2022-23 season was inconsistent, and his struggles carried into the playoffs, where he averaged just 10.3 points on a dismal 34.1% shooting from the field. In July 2023, the Warriors traded Poole to the Washington Wizards, marking the end of his tenure with the team.
Ironically, despite Thompson’s reported discomfort with Poole’s push for a starting role, he himself was relegated to a bench role in the latter part of the 2023-24 season. The Warriors’ decision to move on from Poole appears to have been driven by a combination of the practice incident with Green and the internal dynamics with Thompson, highlighting the complex challenges of managing egos and roles within a championship-caliber team.
As the Warriors continue to navigate their roster dynamics, this revelation sheds new light on the factors that led to the departure of a once-promising star in Jordan Poole.