“I Saw Him Put the Work in”: Klay Thompson Predicts Greatness for Jordan Poole

• Klay Thompson thinks his former Golden State Warriors teammate Jordan Poole will thrive with the Washington Wizards
• Poole was traded after the end of last season for veteran point guard Chris Paul
• Poole had a great regular season but regressed significantly in the postseason

The Golden State Warriors shocked the NBA world by trading Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards just before the 2023 NBA Draft. The Warriors were coming off a disappointing season, and many expected the 2022 NBA champions to make moves.

Klay Thompson was hurt to see Poole leave, but he feels the 24-year-old is destined for great things in Washington alongside Kyle Kuzma.

The 2022/23 season was a turbulent one for Poole. He was coming off a phenomenal postseason, where he played a part in the Warriors' 2022 NBA championship.

And then, one day in practice, he was punched by teammate Draymond Green. The veteran forward apologized, and they went into the new season, hoping to defend their title. However, the altercation cast a dark cloud over their season.

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They struggled, but Poole was great, stepping in for injury-prone Stephen Curry and keeping the team afloat in the regular season. His poor performances in the postseason seemed to be the writing on the wall for Poole.

Thompson speaks on Poole's trade

Speaking on the latest "Podcast P with Paul George" episode, Thompson said it was sad to see Poole leave, but he said he will thrive in Washington.

"It hurts to see Jordan go," he said "That's the nature of the beast that is this business. JP was homegrown, I saw him put the work in...we wouldn't have won the [2022] championship without him. He was so important to us when Steph [Curry] went down and we played that series against Denver. So Jordan is forever going to be cherished in the Warriors' lore just for what he did. And I know he's going to do great things in Washington."

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Poole is entering the first season of the four-year, $128 million contract he signed with the Warriors last season, per the Athletic.

Green vs. Poole timeline

Sports Brief earlier reported on the timeline of the Green and Poole feud.

Cracks first started to emerge in their relationship when Green punched Poole in the face during a preseason practice.

Poole and Green weren’t given the opportunity to fix their relationship as the Warriors decided to trade Poole just hours before the NBA Draft.

It culminated in the young guard unfollowing Green on Instagram.