SAN FRANCISCO — Kevon Looney, who knows a thing or two about contract years, said the pressure doesn’t come from within when a player enters a season on the verge of big money. He said it’s from “the outside world.” Family and friends, agents and managers, media and well-wishers.
“Everybody knows what you’re playing for,” he said.
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But Jordan Poole doesn’t expect that to be a problem now that he’s on the cusp of a gazillion dollars. He’s in line for a raise upwards of $20 million a year starting next season. Yet he didn’t sound a bit concerned about the outside pressure.
“No, we shut that down a long time ago,” Poole said, his widened eyes as an exclamation. “No way.”
Another sign he’s prepared for this, perhaps even built for it.
Of the four Warriors stars eligible for a contract extension this offseason, Poole is the only one on his first rodeo. If he doesn’t sign a contract extension by the Oct. 17 deadline, he’ll be a restricted free agent next offseason. Either way, he’s going to get a monster contract, one that seemed unfathomable two years ago. Somehow, though, he seems just as primed for this as his veteran peers.
Whether playing under a new big contract or putting on one last show before he gets it, such a spotlight has proven to be photosynthesis for Poole. Nothing about his three-year career suggests the weight of contract pressure will faze him. It can’t be greater than the intensity of the NBA Finals, of shedding the label as a bust, and Poole responded to that like a star. That same self-certainty shined Sunday at the Warriors’ media day. He didn’t hide. Didn’t make it an issue. Didn’t get baited into a headline. Instead addressed it like he’s been down this path before.
Poole sounded as if he’d be fine with however it played out. Of course, he’d love to sign a massive extension, which the market suggests would be for four years and upwards of $100 million. Jalen Brunson’s four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks set the bar. But if Poole has to play one more year to prove he’s worth top dollar, he seemed fine with that, too.
Such is the brimming confidence of Poole. This is why he’s so beloved here. This is why he’s so good. This is why the Warriors, simply, can’t lose him. This confidence of his has carried him from a bust of a late first-round pick to the verge of a nine-figure contract. It helped him survive being attacked in the postseason by opponents testing his resolve. It produced some huge buckets in big moments as the Warriors won the championship.
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For sure, Warriors’ brass has to play the game and get the best deal for the franchise. They’re pros at this. They know very well they could sign him now or match if another team offers him a contract next offseason. They also have to know that the likelihood is, whenever Poole signs and for however much, there is a great chance it will end up being a good deal for the Warriors. The trajectory he’s on, and the way salaries are going in the league, he’s heading towards astronomical numbers. While the first year of Poole’s new contract is slated to come with a huge luxury tax penalty, the Warriors are going to need players who are playing above their deals.
Of course, Poole could struggle some this year. He’ll have a target on his back like never before. The league watched what he did in his first postseason. They know he’s a problem to deal with. But the first three years of his career have shown a pretty clear picture how Poole responds to these challenges. The Warriors have built this empire betting on its talent. Poole offers no reason to stop now.
At 23, Poole gives the Warriors a coveted commodity — a high-level playmaker. The Warriors haven’t had a secondary playmaker this good, and one who can take over the reins in the absence of Stephen Curry, since No. 35 came through. The Warriors have been looking for such a player ever since Kevin Durant left. They found him in Poole. And averaging 17 points on 50.8 percent shooting in the playoffs, including 39.1 percent from 3, has only emboldened a player who was already sure of himself.
“There is no ceiling,” Poole said. “There’s definitely no ceiling.”
Poole will have no shortage of outlets for advice on this roster.
Curry went through this in 2012. He finished the 2011-12 season, his third, on the shelf with ankle injuries. He had surgery for the second consecutive offseason, this time uncertain if his ankles would ever hold up under the NBA toll. He didn’t have much leverage other than his clear potential.
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So when the Warriors offered a four-year, $44 million contract, Curry took the guaranteed money. He signed on deadline day, the morning of the opener at Phoenix. It proved to be foundational to the building of the Warriors.
Klay Thompson, two years later, also signed his extension on deadline day. His four-year, $69 million contract came on the heels of the Warriors’ first-round loss to the Clippers. Thompson was visibly better in his third year, second as a starter, and set career-highs in scoring average (18.4 points), field goal percentage (44.4) and 3-point percentage (41.7), in addition to establishing himself defensively as a point guard hound.
A rookie extension wasn’t even on the table for Draymond Green. The second-round pick entered the third and final season of his rookie deal as a reserve. One of increasing importance, but a reserve nonetheless.
“Remember,” he said, “I was coming off the bench until David Lee got hurt.”
Lee’s injury opened a starting spot for Green to open the season. The Warriors started 21-2, and NBA history was forever changed. Green played his way into a new big contract by proving integral in the Warriors’ first championship in 40 years. He signed a five-year, $82 million contract in 2015 without even testing the free-agent market.
Perhaps the closest to Poole’s situation is Andrew Wiggins. His third year, 2016-17, was also a significant step forward. He averaged 23.6 points on 45.2 percent shooting. He jumped from 30 percent from 3 the year before to 35.6 percent. His trajectory never looked better after Tom Thibodeau’s first season in Minnesota.
Wiggins signed a five-year, $147.7 million max extension on Oct. 11, 2017.
“I was the face of the franchise, so I pretty much knew something would get done,” Wiggins said. “I was getting paid either way, so it wasn’t that difficult. When you don’t know, that’s when it’s stressful and tough.”
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What Poole knows outweighs what he doesn’t. He knows he’s one of the best young players at a premium position. He knows the obsessive work he puts in keeps yielding high-end results. He knows how he handled the biggest stage and how he can get even better. He knows teams will line up for a 23-year-old ball-handler who can shoot with a showman’s flair and championship experience. He probably even knows the Warriors will match whatever offer he’d get.
The only question marks surrounding Poole is whether he will get better defensively and whether his spurts of eye-popping efficiency will become more of the norm. If both prove true, he’ll be underpaid no matter what he signs now.
Wait, there is one more question mark: How will Poole handle not starting?
Essentially, we’ve seen it — with a chip on his shoulder, with a bent to prove himself. Practically, he’ll get plenty of chances to start after injuries and rest have their say. But realistically, how does he handle being a perennial reserve while this championship era presses on?
If there is anyone who doesn’t need to be announced in the starting lineup for their name to ring out, it’s Poole. If there is anyone who can bring the aggressiveness and game-changing tenor needed off the bench, it’s Poole. If anyone can find a way to shine while in the shadow of legends, it’s Poole.
It’s why he’s a keeper.
(Top photo: Khristopher Sandifer / Special to The Athletic)
