Draymond Green

Draymond Green Fined, Will Return To Warriors On Thursday

October 12th, 2022 at 7:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have opted to fine, but not suspend, forward/center Draymond Green for punching teammate Jordan Poole in a practice last Wednesday, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday night. As Kendra Andrews of ESPN writes, Kerr also said that Green, who has been away from the team since the altercation, will rejoin the club on Thursday.

Kerr acknowledged that the Warriors may face criticism for their decision not to suspend Green, but explained that the team made the decision it felt was best after a series of internal discussions involving players, coaches, and executives.

Poole was among the players consulted during the decision-making process, meeting with Kerr and the front office multiple times, and also meeting with Green, as Andrews relays. The fourth-year guard was “willing to get back out on the floor with Draymond and go to work,” according to Kerr.

“This is the biggest crisis that we’ve had since I’ve been the coach here,” Kerr said. “It’s really serious stuff. We’re not perfect. … But we’re going to lean on the experience that we have together and trust that this is the best decision for our team. We have a lot of work to do. All of us.”

Warriors head of basketball operations Bob Myers first said last Thursday that he didn’t think Green would be suspended, but it was unclear if the club intended to stick to that plan after TMZ published video of the punch on Friday.

Green, who privately apologized to Poole and the team on Thursday, reiterated that apology publicly on Saturday, announcing at that time that he would step away from the Warriors for at least a few days and admitting that he had work to do to regain the trust of his teammates and the organization.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Kerr expressed confidence that Green will be able to mend the necessary fences, but said he’ll be keeping a close eye on how the team’s young players look at the former Defensive Player of the Year, according to Andrews. Some of those players are newcomers and don’t have a preexisting relationship with Green.

“There is no way around it: (Our) culture has been damaged by this incident,” Kerr said. “You have to work to repair that. … (Green) broke our trust, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he’s earned that.”

The expectation is that Green will play in Golden State’s preseason finale vs. Denver on Friday and will be available for the team’s regular season opener next Tuesday vs. the Lakers.

Latest On Draymond Green

October 8th, 2022 at 8:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have plenty of reasons to be skeptical about Draymond Green despite the contrition he showed during today’s apology, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the punch that felled teammate Jordan Poole at Wednesday’s practice, Green apologized to Poole and his teammates, along with Poole’s family and his own family during a nearly 40-minute session with the media.

Green called himself “a flawed human being” and pledged to work on his shortcomings. He will spend some time away from the team, and it hasn’t been decided if he’ll return for the regular season opener October 18.

“You apologize with words,” he said. “But, ultimately, your actions show your apologies. I’ve apologized with my words to my team and to Jordan. And now I will allow my actions to show my apology.”

Although Green said all the right things, Monte Poole notes that it’s the latest in a string of troubling incidents. Green tried to attack coach Steve Kerr during halftime of a 2016 game at Oklahoma City, he got suspended for Game 6 of that year’s NBA Finals after hitting LeBron James and he had a heated on-court argument with Kevin Durant while they were teammates in 2018.

Kerr, who has witnessed all of Green’s bad behavior, seemed to express doubt over the apology, Poole adds. When asked whether Green had compromised his trust with the team, Kerr responded, “no comment,” and when a follow-up question addressed whether Green would be ready to rejoin the lineup after missing most of the preseason, Kerr only said, “speculation.”

There’s more on the Green situation:

Kerr was angry that video of Green’s punch was leaked to TMZ, telling reporters that he’s seen similar incidents during his three decades in the NBA and it’s best if they’re handled internally, Poole tweets. “It’s just so much cleaner and smoother and you can move forward,” Kerr said. “As soon as things are leaked, you know, now all hell breaks loose and that affects every single player, coach, but especially the players and because of that, because everything is out there, the players are now having to deal with all of this stuff.”
Kerr explained that it was a “mutual” decision to keep Green away from the team for a while and it was made after discussions involving Green and team leaders, Marc Stein tweets.
Making things right with Jordan Poole should be the Warriors’ priority moving forward, argues Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. The 23-year-old guard is a vital part of the organization’s future, and through October 17 he’s eligible for a rookie scale extension that could pay him upward of $30MM per season. If Poole no longer feels comfortable after what happened Wednesday, that could force Golden State to start exploring the trade market for Green, Kawakami adds.
Rival executives and agents don’t expect the Warriors to try to move Green in response to the punch, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Pincus also talked to sources close to Green, who believe that he and the team will be able to move past the incident.

Draymond Green To Spend Some Time Away From Warriors

October 8th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing the media on Saturday for the first time since punching Jordan Poole in a Wednesday practice, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green said he intends to step away from the team for a few days to get his mind right and to allow the club to heal, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

Green said he’s not sure exactly how long he’ll be away from the Warriors, adding that the team still has to decide whether or not he’ll be permitted to play in the regular season opener later this month.

“I expect to play,” Green said (Twitter link via Mark Medina of NBA.com). “But will I play? That is a completely different story and something we will figure out.“

Green, who already reportedly apologized privately to Poole and his teammates for the incident, reiterated that apology publicly during his session with reporters on Saturday. According to Green, he also apologized to his own family and to Poole’s family for the embarrassment that his actions caused (Twitter links via Mark Medina of NBA.com).

Referring to himself as a “flawed human being,” Green said he was in a bad mental space on Wednesday due to some issues in his personal life, but admitted that was no excuse and said he needs to do some work on himself. He declined to offer any additional details about why he escalated the altercation with Poole, explaining that doing so would be a “sympathy tactic” (Twitter links via Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports).

Responding to rumors that his and Poole’s contract situations played a part in the altercation (both players are entering potential contract years and are extension-eligible), Green vehemently denied that, telling reporters it had “absolutely” nothing to do with contracts and insisting that he doesn’t “count other people’s pockets” (Twitter link via Medina).

According to Green, he has taken Poole under his wing since the guard arrived in Golden State in 2019 and the two teammates have had a good relationship, but he’s not sure where things stand now. While Green – who acknowledged that he’ll have to regain the trust of Poole and the rest of the Warriors – said he thinks his apology was accepted by the team, he’s unsure how Poole took it and wants to give him some space (Twitter links via Rohlin and Medina).

“Jordan’s feelings are most important. to be honest, I don’t know how he really feels,” Green said (Twitter links via Medina). “That’s not a bridge we really crossed yet, nor should it be a bridge we should cross yet.

“… I love Jordan Poole. That’s my guy. I will still ride for Jordan, still advocate for Jordan and do anything I can to make Jordan’s job easy.”

As for the fact that video of the punch surfaced two days after the practice in question, Green expressed displeasure about the leak, but conceded that he watched the video “15 times, maybe more,” and that it looks “even worse” than he thought (Twitter links via Medina and Andrews).

“What I did was wrong, regardless of the video leaking,” Green said.

Warriors Notes: Green, Poole, Curry, Iguodala

October 7th, 2022 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers spoke earlier this year about being able to move past Draymond Green‘s on- and off-court missteps because of the “built-up equity” that Green and the Warriors have established in their relationship over the years, but that equity took a major hit this week, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who says Green has to earn back to the trust and respect of his teammates after punching Jordan Poole during a practice.

As Amick writes, the consensus within the Warriors’ organization is that Green’s decision to swing at Poole was “wildly unjustified.”

As the Warriors carefully deliberate their next steps with Green, the team is also taking “every legal course of action” to investigate how video of the incident was made public on Friday, per Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

The Warriors will face more intense scrutiny now that video of the altercation has leaked and Stephen Curry‘s leadership will be put to the ultimate test, Marcus Thompson II writes for The Athletic. Sources tell Thompson that Curry spoke to the team after Wednesday’s practice and has been in frequent communication with Myers and head coach Steve Kerr about how to handle the situation.
The fact that Poole and Green are both entering contract years further complicates how the Warriors might move forward following this week’s incident. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report spoke to multiple scouts and executives to get a sense of how comfortable they’d be signing Poole and/or Green to contract extensions.
It doesn’t sound like Andre Iguodala will see any action during the preseason, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who tweets that Golden State is slowly working the veteran wing back into game condition. It’s also doubtful Iguodala will play much early in the regular season, Slater adds, since the team wants to manage his usage to make sure he can contribute down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Video Of Draymond Green Punching Jordan Poole Released

October 7th, 2022 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

A video clip of Wednesday’s altercation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole at a Warriors practice has been obtained by TMZ Sports.

The incident begins with trash talk between the two players, which leads Green to walk over to Poole and confront him. Poole shoves Green in the chest to push him away, and Green responds with a punch to the face that knocks Poole to the ground. He then stands over Poole before teammates and coaches break them up.

General manager Bob Myers said Thursday that he doesn’t expect Green to be suspended for the punch, although sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic that a suspension was discussed. A fine appears likely, and Slater points out that $50K is the maximum permitted under NBA rules. The league hasn’t announced any disciplinary action against Green, though that could change with the release of the video.

The Warriors won’t practice today, as the team hopes a day off will help defuse the situation, Slater adds. Green is expected to return to practice Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Lakers. It hasn’t been determined if he will meet with the media following that practice.

Several members of the organization addressed the fight on Thursday, including Stephen Curry, who shot down rumors that Poole came to camp with a sense of entitlement after a breakout season.

“JP’s (attitude has) been great,” Curry said. “There’s nothing that warranted the situation yesterday. I want to make that clear. It’s also something we feel like will not derail our season and what we’re trying to build. That’s with Draymond a part of that.”

Coach Steve Kerr echoed those sentiments about Poole, although Slater states that he was clearly upset over the fight and the fact that it become public. Golden State began the preseason with a trip to Tokyo, and Kerr didn’t want another distraction to deal with.

Hanging over the altercation are the contract situations for Green and Poole, who are both eligible for extensions. At 23, Poole could be a valuable part of Golden State’s future, and Slater hears that he’s willing to accept a long-term offer to stay with the organization. Myers addressed that possibility on Thursday, saying the team has been talking to Poole’s representatives about reaching a deal before the October 17 deadline and “(the incident) doesn’t change our feelings on it.”

Green, 32, has a $27.6MM player option for 2023/24, but he could decide to test the free agent market next summer. He has four championship rings and has been an important part of the Warriors’ success, but he has stated publicly that he doesn’t expect the team to give him an extension this fall.

Warriors GM “Doesn’t Think” Draymond Green Will Be Suspended

October 6th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors general manager Bob Myers “doesn’t think” Draymond Green will be suspended by the team for punching Jordan Poole during Wednesday’s practice, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Myers said Green apologized to the team on Thursday morning and his punishment will be handled internally (Twitter link via Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Green was likely penalized for “conduct detrimental to the team,” with the maximum fine being $50K.

Myers discussed a number of topics related Green, Poole, and the incident (All Twitter links courtesy of Mark Medina of NBA.com):

On Green: “He’s been over that line. But he always comes back. He’s a unique guy. He helps us win.” Myers added that he has “confidence that (the altercation) won’t erode the fabric of our team.”
Myers said he doesn’t believe the incident occurred due to tension with the two players’ extensions looming, having been told that the dialogue leading up to the altercation was “not anything more than normal bickering in a scrimmage.” He also said he’s having “ongoing” discussions with Poole’s agents about an extension, and the incident wouldn’t impact the talks with either player.
Green left the facility after apologizing and didn’t practice, but head coach Steve Kerr said he’ll rejoin the team on Saturday (Twitter link via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews).
Myers said the team has had its best preseason “vibe” during his tenure, and contract situations aren’t affecting team morale. Kerr refuted a report stating that Poole may have been the cause of some tension. “Someone put out there that Jordan had an attitude during camp — that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Kerr said, according to Andrews (via Twitter).

Draymond Green Had Physical Altercation With Jordan Poole

October 5th, 2022 at 9:38pm CST by Rory Maher

9:38pm: Poole wasn’t injured by Green’s punch and was able to finish his workout prior to leaving the floor, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Vincent Goodwill and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Green was apologetic after the incident. Apparently tensions had been simmering because teammates have noticed “a change in Poole’s behavior” during training camp with his extension looming, Haynes tweets. However, teammates didn’t think the escalation by Green was warranted, per Goodwill.

8:23pm: The Warriors are “seriously considering disciplinary action” toward Draymond Green after he “forcefully struck” Jordan Poole during a physical altercation at Wednesday’s practice, sources tell Shams Charania, Anthony Slater, and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

According to The Athletic, the two players were “chest-to-chest” and “pushing and shoving each other” before Green escalated the incident by striking Poole. They were quickly separated after the altercation, sources told The Athletic.

Apparently Green and Poole have a history of disagreements, with The Athletic’s trio writing that the two players are “known to regularly get into verbal arguments,” but obviously this was different, and Golden State’s management believes Green went too far — internal discipline appears “imminent.” The team reportedly stopped practice to ease tensions after nerves were frayed, per The Athletic.

Both Green and Poole are key players for the defending champions, and both are facing important seasons for their individual careers. Poole is eligible for a rookie scale extension after a breakout third season, while Green could also become extension-eligible if he declines his $27,586,225 player option for 2023/24.

Green, a four-time All-Star who has spent his entire 11-year career with the Warriors, is well-known for his boisterous and sometimes line-crossing antics on the court. The ’16/17 Defensive Player of the Year is consistently one of the league leaders in technical fouls and was famously suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

Draymond Green Not Expecting To Sign Extension Before Season

September 26th, 2022 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward/center Draymond Green is one of several key Golden State players currently eligible to sign a contract extension. However, when asked on Sunday about his contract situation, he told reporters that he’s not counting on signing a new deal before the 2022/23 season begins.

“Whether I’d like to or not, I don’t think it will happen,” Green said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (video link). “So for me, I’m just focused on this season and being as great as I can be, as I know I’m capable of being, and winning another championship. And reaching the individual goals that I have as well. I think that’s my main focus.”

Green is technically under contract for two more seasons, but the second year is a player option, so he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. He’ll earn approximately $25.8MM this season, with a $27.6MM option for ’23/24.

If he were to sign a long-term extension that begins in 2023, replacing his player option, Green would be eligible to earn up to $138.7MM over four years. A report in July suggested that the 32-year-old believes he’s earned that sort of contract, but it would be a surprise if the Warriors were to make that strong an offer this fall. With Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins also entering contract years, Golden State will do its best to try to lock up all three players to deals well below the max in order to avoid pushing the franchise’s record-setting luxury tax payments even higher.

Poole and Wiggins were also asked about possible extensions on Sunday — both players indicated they’re letting their agents handle those negotiations and brushed off concerns about the possible pressure of a contract year, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area writes.

Poole, who expressed confidence that he and the Warriors will be able to figure something out, will be a restricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension this fall. Wiggins will become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Looney, Green, Iguodala, DiVincenzo

September 24th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors‘ first practice of the season was a valuable learning experience for James Wiseman, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiseman closed today’s session by working one-on-one with starting center Kevon Looney while big man coach Dejan Milojević looked on. Wiseman could only watch last season while recovering from a knee injury, so just being on the court is an important step forward.

“Watching Loon the last couple years has helped James,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “But now playing against him, he’ll be able to see and feel those tricks of the trade Loon is so good with — flipping the screen, catching the ball in the pocket, (dribble handoffs), all those things.”

Wiseman enters his third NBA season as the primary backup for Looney and may even start a few games when Looney rests. Looney played every regular season and playoff game last year, and the team doesn’t want to put that kind of strain on him again.

“I definitely want to play 82 again,” Looney said. “But I’m not going to compromise myself to do it. If I feel like I don’t look good or the training staff thinks I’m not moving as well or something is nagging me, I’ll take the break. But if I’m healthy, I’m going to play. I’m not going to sit because it’s a back-to-back just cause. I’m 26. I feel good. I missed a lot of years, so I have some games to make up.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Kerr was encouraged by Draymond Green‘s performance in today’s practice session, Slater states in the same piece. Green came to training camp straight from the Olympics last year, but there were concerns he wouldn’t be as sharp without an offseason competition to push him. “His conditioning looked good, his body looked good,” Kerr said. “He was really moving well both laterally and sprint speed up and down the floor. He was mentoring the young guys, coaching them up in drill work. Then on the floor, the blue team — with Looney, (Stephen Curry), (Andrew Wiggins) — that group just demolished everybody.”
The only player not at today’s practice was Andre Iguodala, who announced Friday that he will play one more year, Slater adds. Iguodala will report to practice Monday and will accompany the team on its trip to Japan. “He was planning on retirement,” Kerr explained. “This was sort of a last-minute decision for him. We gave him the freedom to do the things he already had scheduled. … His presence is going to mean the world to us. We have so many young guys. The more mentoring and coaching from within, the better.”
The Warriors’ history of success played a big role in attracting free agent Donte DiVincenzo, tweets NBA journalist Mark Haynes. “I wanted to get back to that winning culture,” DiVincenzo said. “The joy of playing simple winning basketball. I think I thrive in that.”

Warriors Notes: Training Camp, Wiseman, Poole, DiVincenzo

September 22nd, 2022 at 4:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to the media today, head coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors expect to have a fully healthy roster for training camp, with their first practice coming on Saturday, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter links). Rookies Ryan Rollins and Patrick Baldwin Jr., who dealt with injuries this summer, will have no restrictions.

As Slater notes, it will be the first full training camp for third-year center James Wiseman, with his rookie camp disrupted by the pandemic, followed by last year’s injury-plagued season, which saw him miss all of 2021/22 after multiple knee surgeries and setbacks. Kerr said Wiseman has gained confidence in his knee and is healthy now.

“He’s healthy. He’s played in a ton of pickup games in our building (the last month)…I think he’s got a lot of confidence in that knee now. That’s the first step. The next step is finding his role within this team,” Kerr said.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

President of basketball operations and general manager Bob Myers said he’ll meet with Jordan Poole‘s agents to discuss a rookie scale extension once the team returns from Tokyo in early October, according to Slater (via Twitter), who says it will be the “first substantial negotiations” about a potential deal. Golden State is playing a couple of preseason games against the Wizards in Japan on September 30 and October 1.
Regarding the possible extensions for Poole and other veterans on the roster like Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, Myers said the price points will play a factor. “We want all those guys. Can we get them all? I don’t know. It depends on the money … we’re not at the point where we can make those decisions yet,” he said (Twitter link via Kendra Andrews of ESPN).
Guard Donte DiVincenzo, who signed with the Warriors as a free agent this summer, has hired a new agent. He’ll now be represented by Jason Glushon of Glushon Sports Management, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.

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