Jordan Poole and Draymond Green will forever be linked to each other, but not for the reason either would have hoped. Green infamously punched Poole during a Golden State Warriors practice session in October 2022, and the relationship between them never quite recovered.
While Green has spoken a lot about the incident over the years, Poole, who was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2023, has not. He has kept his mouth shut, but it seems clear he still harbors resentment towards his former teammate. Poole recently liked an Instagram reel in which Green was being roasted for his play in a scrimmage.
Green airballed a couple of times in that clip and even missed an uncontested layup. It certainly wasn't a good look.
While Poole hasn't said anything about Green in recent times, there have been suggestions that he is not over the punch. After a game between the Wizards and the Warriors on Jan. 18, 2025, Poole said he loves most of the guys over there. That came to Green's attention, and he surprisingly apologized to his former teammate.
Not long after, though, Green reverted to his usual self. The four-time All-Star called out Poole for looking for sympathy by making that statement, and added that you cannot call a man a "b***h" and not get hit.
It's still not completely clear what all happened in the lead-up to Green punching Poole. A lot of rumors have flown around, like the one about Poole calling Green an expensive backpack for Stephen Curry. We won't know for sure, though, until one of these two opens up more on the subject.
Green has at least admitted that he f***ed up by punching Poole. He claimed he was still learning despite being a veteran in the NBA by that point.
Poole and Green awkwardly co-existed as teammates for the 2022-23 season. The guard wasn't quite the same on the court, though, and the Warriors as a whole failed to capture that magic from their title-winning campaign. The reigning champions were eliminated in the 2023 Conference Semifinals by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Green felt his punch on Poole killed the Warriors' chances of defending their title, and it could well have. It seemed inevitable that the team would part with one of the two in the offseason, and they shipped the young guard to the Wizards.
Poole struggled in his first season with the Wizards, but did manage to turn things around in 2024-25. The 26-year-old averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in the campaign.
Despite Poole impressing, the Wizards decided to cut ties with him this offseason. He was sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal that saw CJ McCollum head to Washington.
It will be interesting to see how Poole fares in his new surroundings. The Pelicans have some talent, but have underwhelmed in recent seasons for one reason or another. Poole will be looking to help them take a step in the right direction.
As for Green, he is still with the Warriors and declared they'll be winning the title next season. They haven't come particularly close since going all the way in 2022 and aren't one of the favorites for 2025-26 either, as things stand.
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