At the start of this past offseason, the Washington Wizards elected to move on from Jordan Poole and officially end the two-year long Poole Party in the DMV.
The move came with the Wizards landing veteran guard CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk in exchange for Poole and forward Saddiq Bey, as well as draft capital exchanged between the two teams.
When the deal originally ocurred, it seemed safe to say the selling point for Washington was the possibility to land one of the best veteran presences in the NBA, in McCollum, who brought his expiring contract to Washington giving the team financial flexibility moving forward.
Moving Poole's lucrative contract off the books was certainly a selling point, and it seemed like the move could be good for all parties involved.
However, to start the season, the Wizards reasoning for moving on from Poole is growing more clear by the day.
Jordan Poole's empty stats don't impact winning
Throughout the start of his career, Poole has grown the reputation for himself as one of the most explosive, yet ineffcient offensive players in the league.
The Michigan product can drop 50 on any given night, but he can also go on stretches where he shoots 30% from the floor and finish with single digits.
So far since joining the New Orleans Pelicans, Poole is averaging 17.3 points, 3.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds, while shooting 35.4% from field goal range and 33.9% from beyond the arc,
As for the Pelicans, they find themselves at the bottom of not only the Western Conference standings, but the NBA as a whole with a 2-15 record.
For Poole, who seemed mightily eager to move on from the Wizards and their losing ways, it's a bit interesting that since arriving in New Orleans, the Pelicans have now found themselves fighting with the Wizards atop the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
All that to say, the Pelicans' fanbase is quickly coming to terms with the harsh reality that the Wizards were forced to face throughout the roller coaster of a ride that fans called the Jordan Poole experience.
Poole's inconsistent play makes it hard to watch and although his stats may not look bad, the overwhelming fact is that those stats are empty and don't translate to winning under any circumstance.
Looking ahead, don't be shocked to see the Pelicans exploring every avenye possible to free themselves of the financial commitment they made to Poole when acquiring him from Washington.