At the risk of having more “Debbie Downers” in the comments 🙄 (Yaxel Lendeborg voice, as evidenced here and here) — I am not here to get into debates, we are not here running for office, and I will always protect Let’s Go Warriors on its platforms from people who want to make you feel bad about ___ (fill in player/coach/team name as Warriors Twitter would routinely gladly do) — this is the cap sheet follow-up to postgame Pelicans when Jordan Poole said he wants to come back to the Warriors.
Or, at the very least, he’s made it abundantly clear that he’d welcome the opportunity, therefore it would be prudent to see if the math works. After Golden State’s 51-point victory over New Orleans on November 9th, the former Warriors guard was asked whether he’d consider returning to the team that drafted him. Before the reporter could finish, Poole answered, "Yes."
Then he answered yes again.
This wasn’t your typical former player expressing appreciation for the organization where he started his career. Poole went further, describing how much he misses the Warriors’ style of basketball, the Bay Area and the environment that helped him win an NBA championship in 2022.
Asked if he misses Golden State, Poole exclaimed, "Hell, yeah!"
He also described the challenges of playing for five coaches in four years and acknowledged how difficult it has been to adjust to the changes in Washington and New Orleans, adding a couple F-words, perhaps indicating his frustration with the last two stints in Washington and New Orleans not being nearly as memorable as those drives across the Bay Bridge.
But what really intrigued me was what happened after those comments. Joseph Dycus of the Bay Area News Group subsequently reported that one Wardell Stephen Curry II and Draymond Green were both receptive to the idea of a potential reunion.
“Jordan is at the top of the list,” Curry told Dycus when asked about former teammates he'd welcome back.
Ergo, if a Debbie Downer won’t stop telling you how bad JP would be for the Warriors, tell him that Wardell has him at the top of his list. At that point, pay careful attention to Debbie. Is she aware that she is in direct conflict with her GOAT?
And if that wasn’t enough, Green was similarly open to the possibility.
“That would be incredible,” Draymond told Dycus, adding that he wouldn’t stand in the way of the organization making a decision it believed would improve the team.
Dear Debbie: the word Dray used was not cool or good. It was incredible.
Then came another noteworthy development. Danny Emerman of The SF Standard conducted a more extensive conversation with Green, who acknowledged his responsibility for the 2022 incident that preceded Poole’s eventual departure.
"We had our issue that I fucked up on, and that's that," Green told Emerman.
Green emphasized that he didn't carry grudges and that any decision to pursue Poole would ultimately belong to the Warriors. In fact, it was reported that Dray said this as Poole stood near the Warriors’ locker room, presumably about to pay a visit to his old teammates, as the locker room is underground down a flight of stairs and not quite that easy to get to. Of course, I was not actually there to witness this, so I am speculating and take it with a grain of salt.
Green then returned to the subject on The Draymond Green Show, reiterating that he didn't have a problem with Poole potentially rejoining Golden State and wouldn't interfere with the organization’s judgment.
We’ve also collected excerpts of all three reports and the subsequent podcast discussion in our Let's Go Warriors Discord “Knowledge Base” which also a searchable library of reports. Sign up here for free!
There’s a good chance that Debbie did not know Steph and Dray, on not one but two occasions, gave their full endorsement on the player she insisted on throwing under the bus.
But no, we cannot simply conclude that the Warriors are actively planning a reunion. There’s a difference between welcoming a former teammate and committing to a roster move, but the three most important voices in this conversation have now made their positions considerably clearer.
JP would consider returning. Steph would welcome him. Dray says he wouldn't stand in the way. That’s a much more encouraging starting point than we could have reasonably assumed when Poole was traded in 2023.
The basketball question
There’s another reason this possibility deserves consideration beyond the sentimental appeal. Poole is still only 27 years old and approaching unrestricted free agency next summer. While his recent production has been uneven, his previous success playing alongside Curry is not some distant or hypothetical projection.
Remember what Poole accomplished in Golden State:
2021-22: 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 36.4% shooting from three, while appearing in 76 regular-season games.
2022-23: 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 33.6% shooting from three, playing all 82 games.
And during the Warriors’ 2022 championship playoff run, Poole averaged 17.0 points while shooting 39.1% from three.
It’s easy to forget just how productive Poole was when he could alternate between creating his own offense, attacking a scrambling defense and benefiting from the attention Curry commanded.
The most damning evidence to the Debbies: he literally was instrumental in the 2022 title run. Steve Kerr himself has said that many times since. That kind of experience typically cannot be found on the open market in free agency.
Again, not reporting anything, just speculating: It is totally obvious to me that Mike Dunleavy, Jr. would get the endorsement of Kerr in checking in with JP as a free agent this summer. That is a no-brainer.
As far as fan sentiment? Overwhelmingly, it’s also a yes-before-I-can-even-finish-the-question. Here’s a screen shot of just some of the comments from the Poole postgame video:
Yet still, one of the most interesting questions is whether his decline in effectiveness since leaving the Warriors is partly a product of the basketball environments he’s entered.
Superstar gravity matters
When opposing defenses must account for Curry moving without the ball, navigating screens, relocating and threatening to shoot from virtually anywhere, the opportunities for other offensive players change dramatically.
That environment can be particularly helpful for a guard like Poole, whose strengths include scoring off the dribble, attacking closeouts and finding opportunities before a defense is fully organized. Without that same gravitational force, a player may have to create more difficult offense himself.
Of course, that doesn’t entirely explain Poole’s struggles. He averaged 20.5 points per game for Washington in 2024-25, demonstrating that he could still produce substantial individual scoring numbers without Curry, but the Wizards were rebuilding, and JP’s individual production did not translate into team success.
His first season in New Orleans brought another adjustment and the Pelicans now have additional ball-handling options, including Jeremiah Fears and Dejounte Murray.
The question isn’t whether Poole can score. We’ve seen him do that. The question is whether the Warriors could once again put him in a role that maximizes his offensive strengths while minimizing the responsibilities that are more difficult for him to handle.
And just as importantly, whether his defense, decision-making and willingness to play within a defined role would justify bringing him back. The familiar system gives Golden State a meaningful starting advantage, but the team would still need to assess its 2027 roster, coaching priorities and backcourt needs.
Watch our Poole interview here (audio only, beginning at 03:39) and check out all of DubNation’s comments:
But fan sentiment and basketball fit are only part of the story. We still have to answer the question that matters most when constructing a realistic NBA transaction…
What’s the cost to bring back JP?
This is where the conversation gets especially interesting because the contracts handed out to other veteran scoring guards in the summer of 2026 suggest that Poole could enter a very different free-agent market from the one that produced his massive extension in 2022.
There may even be a relatively inexpensive contract structure that gives him something other veteran-minimum offers don’t.
Let’s look at the actual numbers. If you enter your email and become a free subscriber, you'll also get to see what Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron said to me when I texted him about Poole’s market value! 👇