Getty Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks on.
Draymond Green continues to receive a lot of backlash for getting ejected from a game against the Orlando Magic on March 27. After Stephen Curry’s real-time reaction to the ejection stunned the NBA world, coach Steve Kerr put Green on blast for his “unforgivable” actions on the 95.7 The Game radio show.
Steph’s reaction to Draymond’s ejection
How do YOU feel after hearing Steve Kerr say Draymond Green’s ejection was ‘unforgivable’ ⬇️
Seeing as Green’s teammates haven’t minced words about their growing frustrations with him, several insiders feel Golden State is preparing to part ways with the former Defensive Player of the Year.
On the March 29 edition of “First Take on ESPN, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins urged the Warriors to pull the trigger on trading Green in the offseason.
“It’s time for the Warriors to part ways with Draymond Green,” Perkins said. “Mike Dunleavy, Joe Lacob, Steve Kerr and Steph Curry — they’re gonna have that tough conversation in the offseason. Because once a person shows you who they are, you have to believe them.”
Perkins believes Green is “stuck in his ways” and hasn’t shown a willingness to improve as a teammate and locker room leader. The retired big man further implied that Golden State turned a blind eye to Green’s past antics.
“When the Jordan Poole incident happened, Curry and Kerr had Draymond Green’s back,” Perkins stressed. “Then, this year, what he did with [Jusuf] Nurkic, Steph Curry again had his back. Steve Kerr had his back.”
“…Now, Steph Curry is exhausted. The fanbase of Golden State is exhausted. Steve Kerr is exhausted — and rightfully so. Draymond Green is not going to change.”
Draymond Green Apologizes
A day after his controversial ejection, Green apologized for his actions on the March 28 episode of “The Draymond Green Show.” The four-time All-Star refused to apologize for cussing out the referee but expressed remorse for leaving his teammates hung out to dry in a crucial game that could decide playoff seedings.
“I said what I said and I deserved to get kicked out after that point,” Green said. “If I’m all the way honest with y’all, I kinda was trying to turn my body and angle it and go to the bench, I said what I said a little too soon before angling my body to the bench.”
End of an Era?
If the Mike Dunleavy-led front office does decide to trade Green, it would truly mark the end of an era. The trio of Green, Curry and Klay Thompson has the most NBA finals victories in the last 50 years. It also ranks third in overall postseason wins with 104, trailing only the Spurs’ Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (126), and Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper (110).
Furthermore, among players with at least 100 playoff games played, Thompson, Green and Curry are all in the top 10 in win percentage, per NBA.com.
That said, all good things come to an end, and the Warriors could be preparing for a life without their decorated Big 3 as early as the 2024-25 season. Besides trading Green, the Warriors could be forced to let Thompson walk as a free agent. Thompson will reportedly be pursued by the Orlando Magic among other teams this summer.