Jordan Poole did not hesitate. Ask him about returning to the Warriors, and the answer came without a pause. That is the part that lands hardest, because his time away from Golden State has been nothing but turbulent. The championship run, the bitter breakup, the relationship that never recovered. Poole has been through all of it with the Pelicans, and he still left the door open.

Despite the circumstances surrounding his departure, the Bay Area still feels like home.

“Do I miss it? Hell yeah,” said Poole after the Pelicans’ 138-87 defeat to Golden State. “They play the right way, bro; they play good basketball; they play team basketball. Obviously, the environment is pretty high-level. Like I said, once you put a lot of work in and you’ve got hardware with an organization, with a team, with a city, you’re kind of cemented in the history. So, it’s good,” Poole said, as per Danny Emerman.

Asked whether he would welcome a return, he spoke about all the reasons why it had worked.

“Yes. Yes,” he said. “It just feels like home, though, you know? Driving into the f***ing arena, crossing the Bay Bridge or wherever you’re coming from, it definitely feels natural. And I think it’s pretty evident; the way that I play is very fitting to how I used to play here. Nothing’s changed, other than the systems that I’m in. We won a championship, you know, so it works. And it did work.”

Poole also pointed to his connection with the franchise, having helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship. He is now approaching unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2027, giving his comments an added layer of significance. 

The guard made it clear that he is open to considering his options, making a hopeful statement:

“This is my last year on the deal; I’m a free agent at the end of this season. So you never really know what’s going to happen. But if there’s any place that I’m comfortable, it’s probably where I started,” he added. 

He also acknowledged how difficult the past few seasons have been. 

“Pretty f***ing difficult. Pretty f***ing difficult. But I mean, this is a part of the league,” Poole said, describing his last few seasons.

Poole’s career has taken a different direction since the Warriors traded him to Washington in 2023. After signing a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors, he was expected to become an important part of their future.

Instead, the breakdown in his relationship with Draymond Green and the franchise’s decision to move on changed that trajectory.

There is a ‘Green’ signal for Jordan Poole’s Warriors reunion

The most difficult chapter of Poole’s Warriors tenure began during training camp in October 2022. A confrontation between him and Green escalated when the veteran forward punched Poole during practice. He did regret it later.

TMZ later released footage of the incident, turning an internal team matter into a major public controversy.

The fallout lingered throughout the season. Although the Warriors attempted to move forward, the incident exposed tensions within a team that had just won another championship. The team eventually traded him to the Washington Wizards in the summer of 2023, ending his time alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Green.

His latest visit to Chase Center showed that patch-up isn’t a distant dream.

Before the game, Poole and Stephen Curry shared their familiar handshake. Curry even wore Poole’s sunglasses before knocking down a three-pointer, providing another reminder of the bond they built during their championship years.

The post-game interactions offered a more complicated picture. Poole embraced Curry and exchanged jerseys with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Green, however, was seen heading toward the locker room as Poole approached. The moment drew attention, although it does not establish what either player was thinking.

Also, during a defensive possession, Green can be seen pulling at Poole’s jersey, hinting that the bitterness between the two hasn’t quite faded.

But that isn’t the end of the story. Draymond Green did share his two cents on the Poole reunion. And this might be the most positive update of all.

“That would be incredible. That’s one of the one things I took back in my career and just kind of… I have no issues with that at all. I will never stand in the way of this organization thinking they can better themselves. The issues will never be me. Ever,” Green said.

Poole is in the final year of his four-year, $128 million contract, which carries a salary of approximately $34 million this season. His production and role have changed since his Warriors days, and his current situation in New Orleans is far removed from his championship responsibilities. 

A return would therefore require both sides to assess his role, value, and fit within the roster. A substantially smaller contract could become part of the conversation. 

But there is no indication that either side has begun discussing a deal.

For now, Poole’s comments establish one thing: he has not ruled out returning to the place where his NBA career took off. The championship memories remain, the relationship with Curry appears intact, and most importantly, Green approves.

Free agency will provide the next opportunity to turn that possibility into a real decision.