Jordan Poole knows a thing or two about the inner workings of the Golden State Warriors. He was there for the highest of highs, playing a crucial role in their 2022 championship run. Now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, he’s watching his old team navigate what has proven to be a super tough offseason from afar—and he isn’t shy about twisting the knife. The latest blow to the Warriors’ summer plans came this week when Poole’s new team, the Pelicans, locked up defensive star Herb Jones with a huge three-year, $68 million extension. The news, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, effectively removes one of Golden State’s most coveted trade targets from the board. Poole didn’t miss the chance to rub it in.
He reposted the news on his Instagram story with a simple, one-word caption that said it all: “scaryyyy,” punctuated by a couple of devil emojis. And Poole has a point—the situation in Golden State does look a little scary right now. Losing out on Herb Jones isn’t just a one-off; it’s the latest frustration in a quiet and disappointing summer for the Warriors. They’ve been stuck in the mud, mostly because of the standoff with their own restricted free agent, Jonathan Kuminga.
While they’ve been waiting on him, other potential targets have signed elsewhere. Josh Giddey went to Chicago, Cam Thomas stayed in Brooklyn, and Quentin Grimes is locked in with Philly. The Warriors, with their money problems, couldn’t really compete for those guys anyway, and now they’re watching the rest of the league get better while they stand still.
The lack of a clear plan has left the team’s leader, Stephen Curry, to play diplomat. When reporters asked him about the team’s two biggest question marks, Kuminga and Al Horford, he gave careful, non-committal answers. On Kuminga? “We’ll see what happens.” On the Horford rumors? He basically paraphrased from the same script: “He’s a champion, great player. When…if, when all that stuff happens, I’ll talk about it.” From a leader who is usually so confident, those guarded words say a lot about where the team is right now: stuck. And this whole situation feels familiar.
The Warriors’ all-in pursuit of a specific type of veteran is exactly what led to Jordan Poole getting traded in the first place. After the 2023 playoffs, the front office decided they couldn’t deal with Poole’s inconsistency—or his $128 million contract, especially with the bad blood still lingering from the Draymond Green punch. They wanted what Steve Kerr called a “shift,” so they traded Poole for an aging Chris Paul. It was a move that prioritized winning now and financial relief over Poole’s future potential. Now, they’re doing it all over again with Horford.
Oct 14, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole (3) and forward Draymond Green (23) re-enter the court after a time-out during the first half of the game against the Denver Nuggets at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Because, with Kevon Looney gone, the Warriors “desperately need another big,” and the front office has decided Horford is their guy. Insiders like Ricky O’Donnell say he’s the “ideal target” because he’s a “quick decision-maker” and a “high-volume three-point shooter”—a “perfect match for Steve Kerr’s system.” The hope is that they can convince the 39-year-old to play one more year, but that’s a huge risk.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Horford is seriously weighing three options: signing with the Warriors, the Lakers, or simply retiring. For a team to be all-in on a player who might just walk away from the game entirely is a precarious position, but it’s the one the Warriors have chosen.
Jordan Poole’s fresh start and evolving leadership
While Poole’s comment was a clear shot at his old team, it was also a sign of confidence in his new one. He’s now part of a Pelicans core that’s locking in its key players, having arrived just a week ago in a trade from the Washington Wizards.
The move gives Jordan Poole a much-needed fresh start. After being a key player on a championship team, he was mostly out of the spotlight on a struggling Wizards team. But while he was there, he quietly put up numbers, averaging 20.5 points and 4.5 assists, and grew into a real leader in the locker room.
And his younger teammates in Washington definitely noticed. Wizards rookie Bub Carrington had nothing but good things to say about Poole’s mentorship. “That’s crazy not seeing him in our locker room every day. J.P., that was one hell of a guy, not just a player… that was just a really good dude, like off the court,” Carrington said. He talked about how Poole would “just invite rookies over. He invited my family over… He is a really good guy, a really good vet. Always very vocal. He taught me the vocal piece of being a leader.”
For Poole, taking on that role is a way to pay forward what he learned in his own chaotic early years. “I was able to learn a lot in my first four years in the league at a very high level, and I’m appreciative and thankful of that,” he once said. He sees it as a natural part of the game, explaining, “When you’re a kid, you’re the leader of an eighth-grade basketball team… That’s no different than trying to rally a group of guys together at the highest level of basketball.”
Sep 30, 2024; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) poses for a portrait during Washington Wizards media day 2024 at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images, USA Today Network
So that’s the Jordan Poole the Pelicans are getting—not just a microwave scorer, but a mature, 26-year-old veteran who is ready to lead. His “scaryyyy” post wasn’t just a dig at his old team. It was a statement about his own future. He’s all-in on his new home, confident in what the Pelicans are building, and happy to leave the Warriors to deal with their own mess.
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