NBA Trade Rumors: Insiders Believe Jordan Poole Deal Will Be Explored by Wizards

The Washington Wizards may not view Jordan Poole as a key piece of their long-term future, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein pondered whether the Wizards acquired the young guard with an eye toward dealing him down the line or positioning him as "a cornerstone player of their post-Bradley Beal future."

"My sense, from speaking to various league observers, is that more believe it is the former rather than the latter with Poole in Year 1 of a four-year, $123 million contract," Stein reported.

Poole has delivered some impressive individual moments early into his Washington tenure.

He's also demonstrating to some degree why the Golden State Warriors chose to ship him out of town in the offseason.

Poole's scoring average (16.2 points) is down slightly compared to the last two seasons, and he's shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc. His .508 true shooting rate is on pace to be his lowest since his rookie campaign in 2019-20, per Basketball Reference.

As a team, Washington has a minus-21.7 net rating with Poole on the court and a plus-14.0 net rating when he goes to the bench, per NBA.com. On/off splits aren't the definitive indicator of a player's value, but that kind of gulf is not what you want from somebody earning $32 million annually.

The 24-year-old is struggling with a lesser supporting cast and a bigger on-court role than he had in Golden State. That, in turn, makes some of his eccentricities a little tougher to stomach.

Poole might be miscast as a No. 1 or 2 scoring option, even on a bad team that's building for the future.

Perhaps his performance will begin to improve as the year goes on and he grows more comfortable in Washington. If not, eventually finding a taker for Poole and his sizable deal may be easier said than done.