LOS ANGELES – Draymond Green will serve an indefinite suspension that yields no clarity on when he will play in his next NBA game. Yet, the Golden State Warriors hardly wavered on whether they plan to honor the remainder of his four-year, $100 million contract.
“We’re committed to him,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said.
Green has drawn two suspensions in the past month for choking Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and for punching Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic. Yet, the Warriors hardly soured their outlook on whether Green will stop his violent outbursts.
“I’m confident that he can come out on a better side,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
The Warriors have struggled this season with Green and without him, including their 121-114 loss to the LA Clippers on Thursday. Yet, the Warriors (10-14) consider Green just as important in salvaging their season as he proved during the franchise’s four NBA title runs (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022).
“Championships are at stake in terms of us being a contender, a realistic contender or even just us being a good team,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “He’s a part of that.”
Are the Warriors living in the past?
On the surface, it appears the Warriors are living in their championship past and stubbornly investing in a player that has become increasingly volatile.
Last year, Green punched former teammate Jordan Poole in training camp. Green apologized publicly, but never made amends with Poole. Shortly after dealing Poole to Washington, the Warriors granted Green a four-year, $100 million extension.
Amid strong early returns with how veteran guard Chris Paul accepted a bench role and fit in with the Warriors’ championship core, Green conceded the team chemistry worsened last season because of his punch.
After reopening unnecessary wounds during the Warriors’ strong start, Green then created more problems when he dragged Gobert in a chokehold during an ill-advised attempt to defend Klay Thompson following a scuffle.
Despite drawing a five-game suspension, Green stayed defiant about his actions. He vowed, however, to ensure he would remain available for his team. Less than a month later, Green failed to live up to that standard by striking Nurkic in the face after the two jostled for post positioning.
So why do the Warriors remain confident Green will finally get his act together?
“Just knowing he doesn’t want to be a detriment to the team and he knows how important he is,” Thompson said. “We all love him, and we know he’s going to come back harder. That’s just like an intuition thing.”
My intuition is they are acting this way about Green because they feel it is more realistic to strengthen a complicated relationship than it is to end it.
The Warriors didn’t necessarily choose Green over Poole following last year’s punch. They all immediately condemned Green and defended Poole, whom the Warriors shortly granted a four-year, $140 million extension. Initially, it seemed the Warriors were banking on a young prospect while anticipating Green’s best days were behind him.
Instead, the opposite happened. Pool played more erratically and outside of team basketball. Green still defended at an elite level. So, the Warriors banked on their more proven veteran.
The Warriors didn’t necessarily trade Poole because of any persistent awkwardness with Green. They dealt Poole because of luxury tax concerns and his uneven development. The Warriors retained Green as a free agency because of his proven defense.
Draymond Green still plays at a high level
When he hasn’t drawn suspensions this season, Green has still maintained his defensive excellence. But the Warriors (10-14) rank 11th in the Western Conference amid Thompson and Andrew Wiggins nursing overlapping shooting slumps and losing 13 competitive games within single digits.
That explains why Kerr benched Wiggins and Thompson in crunchtime during Tuesday’s game against Phoenix. That explains why Kerr changed his starting lineup against the Clippers, which entailed pairing Green’s temporary replacement (Jonathan Kuminga) and a promising rookie (Brandin Podziemski) with Curry (17 points), Thompson (30 points) and Kevon Looney. And that explains why Kerr will keep that starting lineup and a bench rotation featuring Paul and Wiggins for at least a few more games.
“If you’re evaluating Draymond, his ability this year has been great and his availability has not,” Dunleavy said. “We need him more available because when he plays, he’s really good and we’re really good. That’s the main thing. I don’t need any more evaluation of Draymond as a player. We need more evaluation on this team, the chemistry and the lineups.”
Dunleavy projected that the next 15-20 games will offer clarity on what moves, if any, the Warriors make leading into the Feb. 5 trade deadline. But it seems unrealistic the Warriors would trade Green, who will be eligible in deals as soon as Friday.
The reasons? Given his recent behavior, it seems unlikely the Warriors would find a robust market for Green. Green has proven to be much more than just a system player, but his All-Star credentials also stem from how well he fits in with the Warriors’ personnel.
He has mastered defending at all five positions both to cover up team shortcomings and to bolster the team’s intensity. He has set effective screens to ensure Curry can make plays.
He has taken over ball-handling duties so Curry can find open looks off the ball. If the Warriors trade Green, they are essentially starting a rebuilding project while Curry still remains what Dunleavy called “elite.”
The Warriors are playing the long game with Draymond Green
When taking all of this into account, the Warriors appear to be staging a final intervention for Green.
“I think he’s going to be able to do it. But I’m not sitting here saying, ‘In a couple of weeks, we’ll be fine,’’ Kerr said. “No, that’s not how this works. So he’s got a lot of work ahead.”
Dunleavy said that the Warriors have collaborated with the league office, Green’s agent (Rich Paul) and Green himself on determining what benchmarks he needs to reach before returning.
Dunleavy offered no timeline or specifics amid this situation’s fluid and private nature. While Green plans to continue to practice individually and with the team to stay in shape and engaged, it appears likely he will seek some counseling.
That could be a welcome step considering Green rejected that idea following his punch with Poole. Though the public should support and show empathy for those struggling with mental health and personal issues, some public figures have hidden behind the guise of mental health to absolve themselves from accountability.
Therefore, the NBA and the Warriors rightfully should support Green with any personal issues he may have. But Green should know better than to replicate the kind of behavior that led to his two past suspensions.
That’s because Green’s recent behavior went well beyond his normal body of work when he drew technical fines for barking at officials over a call. It even goes beyond when he drew suspensions for other physical plays.
If we are to laud Green for his incredible on-court intelligence and ability to make quick decisions, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect Green to be fully capable of simply not choking or punching someone during the heat of competition.
“What that means to change is the search for the answer,” Curry said. “That’s the journey that we’re on now. The tone has obviously changed from any other suspension at times in the past.”
So if the Warriors have still pled patience and optimism about Green becoming the best version of himself following his latest suspension, it appears Green has one final chance to make amends. For better or for worse, the Warriors will eventually find out if Green will make the right play.
“The whole key for me is what this can do for his life, long-term,” Kerr said. “I want him to be happy. I want him to reap the rewards of an incredible career and legacy. And I want him to finish that career in a really wonderful and dignified manner. This guy is one of the great winners of all time. He’s one of the great competitors of all time. But he’s crossed a line. He knows that.”
Mark Medina in an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.