Draymond’s latest incident should be last straw for Golden State Warriors
By Cal Durrett
Draymond Green is at it again. The controversial Golden State Warriors star is facing disciplinary action for hitting teammate Jordan Poole during an argument in practice, according to Shams Charania. While Green has had a long reputation for impulsive behavior, this should be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
When a chest-to-chest interaction with guard Jordan Poole escalated, Green forcefully struck Poole and both needed to be separated swiftly, sources said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 6, 2022
Developing story at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/OYQ9WJFJtd https://t.co/FBsYpnBXq5
To be clear, I don’t expect the Golden State Warriors to trade their all-star power forward less than two weeks before the season. That being said, something’s gotta give and Green simply isn’t good enough to let his antics slide anymore. He’s still key to the defending champions but not exactly irreplaceable, especially if he continues to steadily decline and take shots at teammates.
Green’s edge has given the Warriors toughness, but it’s also caused them problems. He’s been blamed for superstar Kevin Durant leaving to join the Brooklyn Nets after a heated argument between the two.
He’s also had issues with coach Steve Kerr, and he famously got himself suspended in the NBA Finals, which led to the Cleveland Cavaliers coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. There’s a lot of baggage there with Green, and it can’t help that Green wants a max contract, then goes off and hits a rising star in Poole.
Draymond Green was apologetic in aftermath of the altercation with Jordan Poole, but there was a buildup stemming from teammates noticing a change in Poole’s behavior throughout camp with the guard on the verge of securing a lucrative extension, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) October 6, 2022
The Golden State Warriors should move on from Green after next season.
While Poole and Green have apparently had a history of getting into arguments, Green took things too far as he’s known to do. That’s an issue, as is Green’s desire to receive a max contract. But there was the possibility of a compromise being made, one that would satisfy Green and hopefully keep the team’s legendary big three together for the rest of their careers.
That would be nice, but the Golden State Warriors simply can’t afford to re-sign Andrew Wiggins, extend Poole, and extend Green. How ironic would it be if Green hitting Poole resulted in the team essentially choosing Poole over him? It’s possible, given their massive team salary and luxury tax payments that Green could be much more expendable now than he was before.
Next. Should the Warriors trade two of their all-stars?. dark
In the meantime, the Warriors will look to put this behind them and continue on with their title defense, but if and when Green opts out after next season, he likely won’t be retained. Thus, this latest incident is possibly the final straw.