Getty Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.
There appears to be trouble in paradise for the Golden State Warriors. Fresh off their fourth championship run in eight seasons, training camp is already getting rocky for the team. Draymond Green has earned a reputation as one of the great antagonists in the NBA over his career. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they also have another up-and-coming antagonist in Jordan Poole.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well, TMZ recently acquired a video that shows what happens. During a recent practice for the Warriors, Poole and Green were chiding each other until the latter decided to get in the former’s face. Poole then shoved Green, which led to the four-time All-Star throwing a punch that connected right on the guard’s face.
Draymond’s punch on Jordan Poole
Fortunately, the right was broken up before it got worse and Poole was not injured from the exchange. However, it’s never a good sign when players are attacking each other in practice when they’re on the same team. The Warriors are planning to punish Green and this is far from the first time he’s caused headaches. The forward has a player option on his contract and could be ready for a fresh start. It’s no secret that Green is a Klutch Sports client who has a very close relationship with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. Atlanta Hawks star believes this whole stunt is a way for Green to force himself to Los Angeles.
Draymond is tryna get to LA.
Damn ! 😳
Does Green Want to Be a Laker?
LeBron and Green do hang out quite a bit but that doesn’t mean the latter is aiming for a spot on the Lakers. Los Angeles doesn’t have a great team right now and there won’t be many to pick them to win a championship this year. The Warriors are in a much better position to win a lot of games this season and beyond.
Green can be a free agent after the season and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes that he could be into the idea.
“Opt out, take a two-year deal. Go to the Lakers and join LeBron. He wouldn’t be averse to that,” Smith said on “NBA Countdown.” “Trust me. Trust me.”
Perhaps Green is at the point in his career where he wants to play with friends and a fresh start is appealing. That’s entirely possible but it’s highly unlikely that this whole blowup with Poole has anything to do with that.
Would Lakers Even Want Green?
Green was once a great player but he showed the Warriors in the NBA Finals last season that he’s not the dependable player he was before. Even his mother called him out for his poor performance. The Lakers love them an aging veteran on the downside of their career but they might even be cautious about signing Green.
He’s going to be 33 next season and is already showing signs of decline. If the Lakers could get him on a reasonable contract, then it could be worthwhile to sign him. However, Los Angeles shouldn’t really consider giving him anything more than $10 million a season over two years. Another bad season could make the team much more desperate so it’s a situation to watch.