NBA Rumors: Jordan Poole's Wizards Contract Viewed Among Worst by 'a Lot of Teams'

Jordan Poole's first season with the Washington Wizards isn't going great for either side, but the team is especially in a bad spot because of how much money he's still owed.

Appearing on 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs show, ESPN's Bobby Marks said "a lot of teams" have said Poole's contract is "one of the worst deals in the NBA right now."

Poole is in the first season of a four-year, $128 million that was signed in October 2022.

If you want to be charitable to the Wizards, they weren't the organization that gave Poole the contract. He signed it while still playing for the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to Washington in July as part of the deal for Chris Paul.

The Wizards made a bet on a player who as recently as the 2021-22 season was a key part of Golden State's victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. His drop-off last season could be attributed in part to everything that happened in the aftermath of Draymond Green punching the 24-year-old during a team practice in October 2022.

Instead, it's looking increasingly likely that the 2021-22 campaign was the high point of Poole's career. He's shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from three-point range in 52 starts this season. Those are his lowest totals in both categories since he was a rookie in 2019-20.

Poole has also been at the center of Washington's defense having the fourth-worst rating in the NBA this season.

The Wizards' 9-45 record is the second-worst in the league, just one game ahead of the Detroit Pistons (8-46). They still owe Poole $95.5 million over the next three years after this season.