Timeline of Jordan Poole and Draymond Green's history

Timeline of 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 already faced off this season on December 22, 2023, Green was still serving an indefinite suspension after hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on December 12.

Here's a look at how Poole and Green's story evolved 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 Michigan State Spartans, respectively, two college teams that are bitter rivals.

Green expressed his opinion on Poole in April 2022 on his podcast “The Draymond Green Show.”

“Jordan, as we all know, went to school down the road at Michigan State University,” Green said. “No need to mention the name of the school, but I absolutely hated him. I mean, he played against Michigan State. Like, 'Get that kid out of here.'”

Rivalry aside, Green praised Poole's fearlessness.

“I’ve never seen him back down for a moment, and that goes back to that time,” Green said. “I've never seen him shy away from a moment. He wants all those moments.”

The development of Poole

Throughout his tenure with the Warriors, Poole improved with each passing 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 coming off the bench.

During the Warriors' 2021-22 championship regular season, 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 field. free throw line.

When Stephen Curry was still recovering from a sprained left ankle ligament Before the start of the 2022 playoffs, the Warriors turned to Poole to replace Curry.

Green praised Poole's development in the 2022 playoffs.

“The first two games of the playoffs, it’s a different thing,” Green said. “He's a totally different beast. And not to be confused, he's running alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. That's intimidating in itself. You start talking. [about] playoff basketball.

The championship and contract extension

After the Warriors' championship season, the biggest question mark heading into the offseason was contracts and how the Warriors could retain their key contributors.

Poole – who was still on his rookie contract – was eligible for a maximum contract extension. However, due to salary cap rules, the Warriors were limited in who they could spend their money on during 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 due to the Warriors' luxury bill.

Where he collapsed

On October 5, 2022, Green hit Poole during training camp. Before the punch, the two men exchanged words.

Green voluntarily walked away from the team after the incident and apologized to Poole.

The results

After the incident, Poole and Green both explained what happened.

Green spoke to the media on October 8 saying he would retire from the team. The Warriors fined Green but Poole felt there was no need to suspend Green, according to ESPN's Marc Spears.

Green also apologized to the team during the press conference.

Poole spoke about the incident during a press conference on October 16.

“[Draymond] “We have apologized and we plan to behave that way,” Poole said. “We're going to play basketball. Everyone in the locker room knows what it takes to win a championship, and we're going to do it on the court. That's really all I have to say on the subject .”

In July 2023, Green gave her perspective on what happened during her appearance on “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone.”

“I don’t just hit people,” Green said. “Of course, dialogue happens over time and you're not usually triggered by something, that quickly, that much.

“No one on my team triggers me in an instant. You know, we know things that you don't say between men. We know things that you need to hold on to.”

Golden State's efforts to repeat as champions failed after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Warriors traded Poole during the offseason.

Warm welcome from Poole to Chase Center

On December 22, 2023, while Green was still serving an indefinite suspension after the Nurkic incident, Poole and the Wizards faced the Warriors in San Francisco.

For the first time, Poole entered Chase Center as an opponent. Even if his departure was “unfortunate”, his former teammates showed no hard feelings.

Thompson, Gary Payton II, Wiggins and Curry all came up to say hello to Poole during his warmup routine.

The Warriors also gave Poole a tribute video.