The Golden State Warriors believe that Draymond Green and Jordan Poole can continue playing together next season, as the former approaches the final year of his contract.
The NBA franchise went into last season as the defending champions, but their preparation was disrupted after an incident involving the two aforementioned players in pre-season. The pair were engaged in a heated argument which reached boiling point when Green punched the 23-year-old in the face.
Green himself and those within the Warriors organisation have said the incident had a significantly negative impact on the team and to some degree, compromised Green’s position as a team leader. It is a scar in the locker room that may take some time to heal if it ever does, but The Athletic reports that the Warriors assume both players can play together on what they expect to be a cohesive roster next season.
After clinching the Larry O’Brien trophy last summer, the Warriors' inconsistent 2022/23 season saw them clinch the sixth seed in the Western Conference and won just 11 of their 41 road games. After scraping past the Sacramento Kings in round one of the Playoffs, they were eliminated at the semi-final stage by the LA Lakers in six games.
After their exit, Green appeared on ESPN to talk about the incident which affected his ability to comment on issues with their performances. “We’re not playing right now because when you speak about the fouling when you speak about all the slippage that we had as a team on the road not being able to come together, none of those things happens if that doesn’t happen,” Green said last month.
“There was a lot of slippage due to me sitting back, me not saying anything, me trying to allow that situation to play itself out, giving it time to heal.” Following the incident, the team and Green mutually agreed he should spend a week away from the team before the regular season commenced, and he then returned to his usual impact role.
However, the team chose not to suspend Green and while no other incidents took place during the season between Green and Poole, coach Steve Kerr admitted his troops never recovered. "Anytime some trust is lost, then it makes the process much more difficult, and there was some trust lost," he told reporters last month.
"That's as blunt as I can be. We have to get back to what has made us really successful, which is a really trusting environment and a group that relies on one another and makes each other better. There's no hiding from it -- the incident with Draymond and Jordan at the beginning of the year played a role in that. It's hard for that not to impact a team."
Green is faced with a dilemma as he has a $27.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season and stressed he will take some time before making his decision. Kerr said that should Green decline and become an unrestricted free agent, his team would struggle to contend for the championship next year.
"Look, if Draymond is not back, we're not a championship contender," Kerr said. "We know that. He's that important to winning and to who we are. I absolutely want him back." He added: "He knows that he also compromised things by what happened back in October. So part of him coming back next year has to be about rebuilding some of that trust and respect that he's earned here for a long period of time."
