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The Golden State Warriors will not be suspending Draymond Green for the now-viral punch he threw at teammate Jordan Poole earlier this month.
Green has been away from the team following the incident but is expected to rejoin the squad on Thursday, per head coach Steve Kerr. The veteran forward will be fined for his actions, although the amount has not been disclosed.
“We feel like we have a great feel for our team. We’ve got a lot of continuity on this team, so Bob and I know our players extremely well,” Kerr said. “We feel like this is the best way after assessing everything for us to move forward. It’s never easy no matter what decision you make in a situation like this. It’s not going to be perfect. This is the biggest crisis that we’ve ever had since I’ve been coach here. It’s really serious stuff.”
Kerr did not underplay the severity of the incident, which was ratcheted up a few notches when video of Green’s punch was released by TMZ. It put a greater focus on the long-term relationship between Poole and Green and both were spoken to at length about the next steps.
“We have spent the last week in deep discussions with all of our key figures in the organization, including Jordan and Draymond of course, Steph, all of our players, Bob, myself, and I can tell you there have been a lot of conversations, individual, one-on-one discussions, players-only discussions,” Kerr said. “Everything that you can think of … all the different combinations that are possible to have in a conversation, we’ve had them. It’s been an exhaustive process.”
Kerr said Green will play Friday in the Warriors’ final preseason game against the Nuggets.
Warriors Clear Trust With Green Needs to be Rebuilt
Green has been a firey leader for the Warriors during their dynastic run but he clearly took it too far with his attack on Poole, which he acknowledged while addressing the altercation.
“That day that took place I was in a very, very bad space mentally,” Green said. “As a leader of this team, I needed to have a better feel for myself and just know and understand where my wick’s end was and what could possibly push me the wrong way. Frankly, I didn’t handle that well and I failed as a leader. I failed as a man, and I failed as a leader.”
Multiple Warriors players have been clear that the trust between the locker room and Green needs to be rebuilt, which Kerr reiterated when announcing the punishment.
“He broke our trust with this incident but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he’s earned that, and I think our team feels the same way,” Kerr said. “There is no way around it: [Our] culture has been damaged by this incident.”
Green’s Future in Golden State Major Question Mark
The punch from Green came with many implications, including causing even more uncertainty about his future with Golden State. Green has a player option he will weigh at the end of the season and has been open about wanting an extension with the franchise where he’s spent his entire career.
But with the Warriors facing a record luxury tax bill and contracts for Poole and Andrew Wiggins seemingly more urgent, Green could be wearing different colors next season — or sooner.
“Draymond Green is expecting this to be his last year in Golden State. Now, he wanna be a Laker,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on October 10. “He ain’t gonna tell anybody that, but don’t think I don’t know. He’d prefer to be a Laker if he gotta leave Golden State.”
Green is still a defensive force at 32 years old but his lack of offense has become a liability at times. He averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists last season.
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