No more fighting! Poole suffers a sudden injury! The 3-for-3 trade deal is completely off.

If things don’t improve, the Pelicans might as well spend some money to consult a feng shui expert...

Bad luck is normal, but constant misfortune is definitely suspicious.

First, their interior star Zion is sidelined with a first-degree hamstring strain on his left leg (out for at least a week), and now their perimeter key player Poole has been hospitalized due to a mild strain of the left vastus lateralis muscle, with a re-examination scheduled in 7 to 10 days.

To be precise, Poole isn’t really the Pelicans’ perimeter core—who have you seen as a core player coming off the bench? So far this season, he has appeared in 7 games with 3 as a substitute, averaging 30.3 minutes, 17.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 turnovers per game, with shooting percentages of 35.4%, 33.9%, and 96.9% respectively.

However, when the Pelicans initially acquired Poole, they did expect him to take on the role of perimeter leader, especially since they traded heavily in a 3-for-3 deal during the offseason to get him. The details are as follows:

The Pelicans sent CJ McCollum, Kessler Edwards, and a future second-round pick to the Wizards in exchange for Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the 40th pick in this year’s draft.

During this year’s preseason and the first three regular-season games, the Pelicans started Poole as their primary guard. Unfortunately, his performance never met expectations, leading to his demotion to the bench. His play has been wildly inconsistent in the new team—one game scoring 9 points, the next 30, then around 10 points again—such erratic performance makes it hard to trust him.

So far, Poole’s best game for the Pelicans was against the Clippers, where he shot 9 of 15 from the field, hitting 60%, scoring 30 points along with 2 rebounds and 2 assists. That was his only game this season shooting above 43%; in two other games, his shooting percentage fell below 20%.

In the summer of 2023, Poole left the Warriors, and many expected him to become the next Harden, but he has repeatedly disappointed.

Poole’s current contract runs through the summer of 2027. This season, he earns $31.85 million, with a salary of $34.04 million next season. It may be difficult for him to secure another multi-million dollar contract in the future, but at least he is already a millionaire.

Due to the dreadful injury situation and their own lack of strength, the Pelicans currently sit last in the Western Conference with a 2-7 record. Their unprotected first-round pick next year still belongs to the Hawks, so tanking for the top draft pick is not an option.