Former Milwaukee-area players Poole, Baldwin traded to Wizards for Chris Paul
Milwaukee native and Rufus King alumnus Jordan Poole will continue his career in Washington, as the 24-year-old was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Wizards on Thursday. Joining him is former Sussex Hamilton and UW-Milwaukee player Patrick Baldwin Jr., as the 20-year-old was included in the deal late on draft night.
The initial part of the deal, reported by ESPN, said point guard Chris Paul was headed to the Warriors for Poole. Washington will also reportedly receive a 2027 second-round pick and 2030 protected first-round pick.
After the Wizards selected Trayce Jackson-Davis late in the second round of the NBA draft, The Athletic reported the Warriors were sending Baldwin to Washington for the rookie.
It is the first major deal for new Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., who attended University of School of Milwaukee and Homestead High School while his father was the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks from 1992-96.
Dunleavy Jr. was promoted to the position June 16.
Poole was the No. 28 pick in the 2019 draft out of the University of Michigan.
The shooting guard began to blossom in his second season, averaging 12.0 points per game and then he exploded into one of the league’s more exciting young players during the Warriors’ 2021-22 championship season. Poole averaged 18.5 points per game on 36.4% shooting from behind the three-point line while leading the NBA in free throw shooting (92.5%).
During the Warriors’ title run, he shot 39.1% from behind the three-point line and averaged 17 points per game.
His performance led to a four-year, $140 million extension before last season.
Poole’s on-court season began inauspiciously, however, with teammate Draymond Green punching him during a practice. Poole did average a career-high 20.4 points per game, but he also turned it over a career-high 3.1 times per game. His three-point shooting dipped to 33.6%.
Poole now heads to Washington, which is in the midst of a rebuild after shuffling its front office structure. The Wizards have traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis.
Baldwin was the no. 28 pick in last year's draft, but he appeared in just 31 games for Golden State. In those games he averaged only 7.3 minutes of action, shooting 38.1% from behind the three-point line. He averaged 3.9 points per game.
More: How pickup games with Milwaukee's college stars helped shape Jordan Poole's game
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr. traded to Wizards for Chris Paul
