The Golden Dynasty that the Warriors once assembled is crumbling. Klay Thompson left. Lauri Markkanen’s trade did not materialize with the Dubs front office. They acquired Buddy Hield as a volume 3-point shooter, but he lacks the playmaking skill that Klay brought to the team. The Splash Brother’s departure has created a void so big that one player is not enough to match the sheer talent and consistency that Klay once produced. Although his performances last season weren’t as good, he was still an asset. But he left, and it seems a former Warrior has figured out why the Golden Bay Area dynasty is heading for a Jenga-like collapse and its root cause.

Rashad McCants referred to Warriors as a “burning building.” Talking further about the departure of noteworthy names from the Dubs camp, McCants said, “Unfortunately, it’s due to all of the things that the Warriors allowed to happen with Jordan Poole… I’ve seen that he was somebody, you know, somebody learning, trying to figure the game out and just you know literally hit someone’s fist. It’s unfortunate.” So, McCants was recalling the memories of a ghastly incident at the Bay Area camp in October 2022. Jordan’s mentor, Draymond Green, punched him straight in the face.

Surprisingly, there was a lack of disciplinary action there, at least that’s how it looked like from the outside. And the Warriors staff allegedly took sides with Draymond Green. That’s what troubles Rashad McCants till now, as he expressed, “Choosing Podziemski, Draymond, and Kuminga over Jordan Poole, to me it was crazy! Anytime I think about the Warriors, I think about Jordan Poole, I don’t want to talk about them. And that’s why I feel like that’s why Klay left.”

“I feel like that’s why they are going to break the team up. It’s just, it’s unfortunate,” McCants expressed on Gil’s Arena. Since Rashad McCants raised the issue of the jaw-dropping crumble of the Warriors, you’d be curious to know more about the first piece of the chessboard that got out of the game.

Did Klay Thompson suffer the ‘domino effect’ of Jordan Poole’s departure?

After Klay Thompson’s exit, the only narrative that followed him was that the Dubs did not need him. And he also felt left out since they were not ready to give him what they offered to Draymond Green. Surprisingly, Green was also connected to the string that was broken by his punch to Jordan Poole. As per the Warriors officials, Green even refused to make any peace attempt with Poole at that time. To ease things, Coach Kerr suggested to Dray many times to take Poole to dinner. However, Green did not ever listen.

“Poole became isolated, left to balance his personal goals with the team’s, widening the chasm between the Warriors core and the young prospects tasked with prolonging the dynasty. Poole’s determination to prove he was worthy of carrying the torch led to on-court mistakes that left teammates and coaches befuddled,” the GSW official said via Logan Murdock of The Ringer.

That might be the reason for the relations eventually souring because of the lack of any action, along with an ‘undisclosed’ fine and the absence of transparency. Jordan Poole was expected to take charge of the future generation in the Bay Area and spring the Warriors forward to win the Championships. His points average improved exponentially, with the Dubs moving from averaging 12 points in 2020-21 to more than 20 points in 2022-23. However, such an incident with Draymond is bound to leave bad memories, and a drift in the team’s collective focus, which resulted in on-court mistakes.

That marked the decline of Jordan Poole, as he could not be himself anymore. The same goes for Klay in this case, doesn’t it?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.