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Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole is best known among local fans as the player whom Bradley Beal was indirectly traded for. To the NBA at large however, he may be best known as the young Golden State Warriors player who got sucker punched a year ago in training camp by veteran forward Draymond Green.

In an article by Logan Murdock of The Ringer yesterday, new details emerged about what the Warriors did in their attempts to mitigate the situation.

In the years before the punch, Poole considered Green a mentor and often like a brother. However, they weren't the same after the punch back in Oct. 2022. And Green refused to make peace or address things with Poole directly. Here is the most telling snippet of the piece.

According to Warriors officials, head coach Steve Kerr made several attempts to convince Green to take Poole to dinner, to smooth over their relationship, but Green declined. Those around the situation now believe the lack of disciplinary action—other than an undisclosed fine—and the inability of anyone on the Warriors to repair the fractured relationship soured the team’s season. 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.

Now that Poole is with the Wizards, it will be interesting to see how he develops without being “held back” by other players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson who are also guards and a former mentor who had a falling out with him. If Poole can become the star that some think he can be, he will be remembered more for how he turned the Wizards around than for being punched at a preseason practice.

Collins was a positive, affable and beloved presence in and around the Hawks during his six years in Atlanta. He was also a walking trade rumor the last three. Finally, the Hawks pulled the trigger last summer, sending him to Utah.

He’ll be missed … for the reasons mentioned above. As a player? Not so much. His production dropped every season since 2019-20 when he averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds at power forward and was clearly (then) a centerpiece. By last season, Collins (13 and six) was a secondary option playing less than 30 minutes whose 3-point shooting suffered (29%). It was time. His market value was fading.

The question is, do the Hawks have a young John Collins on the roster? The reflex answer is no, but it really depends on how much Onyeka Okongwu has developed. The No. 6 selection in 2020, “O” has seen his minutes and place in the rotation rise, and there are times when he flirts with a double-double — something Collins made a habit of doing at his peak as a Hawk.

There’s really no better power forward option on the roster at the moment. In fact, the Hawks at times operated smoother, at least offensively, last season when they went small. They will ostensibly get to see more of Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin filling the available minutes from Collins’ departure.

The question for coach Quin Snyder: Can he have Okongwu and center Clint Capela on the floor together for long stretches? Neither brings shooting, therefore they can’t stretch the floor. Would Atlanta trade Capela and then slide Okongwu, who’s 6-foot-9, into the center spot?

James Harden vowed he would never play for a franchise run by 76ers team president Daryl Morey.

The Sixers learned Harden really may stick to his word, after the disgruntled guard skipped Philadelphia’s entire preseason slate in the wake of his trade demand. Harden — officially away because of a personal matter — did not practice with the Sixers this week and the three-time NBA scoring champion was not at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night for the finale against Atlanta.

Harden’s No. 1 jersey still hung at the arena — only on sale at team stores for $139.

The Sixers are set to open their season Thursday against Milwaukee. They play at Toronto before the Oct. 29 home opener against Portland. Coach Nick Nurse, in his first season after five years with Toronto, is preparing for games without Harden.