Warriors pick up Poole and Wiseman’s options

In perhaps the least surprising news you’ll read this week, the Golden State Warriors announced on Friday that they had picked up guard Jordan Poole’s fourth-year option, and center James Wiseman’s third-year option.

Rookie contracts for first-round players are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options in the third and fourth years, before the player then reaches restricted free agency. The options needed to be exercised by Monday, November 1, so the Warriors made the obvious move with a few days to spare.

Exercising both options was a no-brainer. Poole, despite a few rough games in the first two weeks of the season, looks like a core piece for many years to come. He was brilliant to end last season and in the preseason, and has shown flashes of stardom in the team’s first five games of the year. He very much figures to play a big role on the team going forward, and this is a step towards the Warriors retaining him long-term.

It’s a sign of how much Poole has grown in the last year that picking up his fourth-year option is an easy decision in the eyes of the fans; when the Dubs picked up his third-year option at the start of last year, there were some grumbles from fans who thought they should let him walk given his brutal rookie season and slow start to the 2020-21 season.

Wiseman has yet to step on the court this year, as he continues to rehab from a knee injury that cut his rookie season short. But seeing as how the Warriors used the No. 2 overall pick on him a year ago, it goes without saying that they’re high on him, and there was no chance that they were going to let him enter free agency after his second season. He also figures to be a big part of the future, even if we haven’t seen as much from him as we’ve seen from Poole.

Poole’s salary next year will be for $3,901,399, while Wiseman’s will be for $9,603,360.