The Golden State Warriors adjusted their future for Draymond Green. When given the choice between re-signing the 33-year-old veteran or keeping the young Jordan Poole on the roster, the Warriors chose to go with the player that supplied the sucker punch that ultimately doomed the team during the 2022-23 NBA season. So the 24-year-old Poole was shipped off to Washington during the off-season, and Green was handed a four-year, $100 million contract.
Draymond Green Ejected For 3rd Time In 15 Games
Draymond has been ejected after flagrant foul on Nurkić pic.twitter.com/RmrLU5tdw8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 13, 2023
Poole has struggled in Washington, mostly with his odd antics and poor shooting numbers through the first two months. But he averages 16.7 points per game and actually has lower turnover numbers than he did in Golden State, and perhaps most importantly: he doesn’t get ejected.
Of the 15 games that Draymond Green has played in during the 2023-24 NBA season, he has been ejected in three of them. He was booted from a game against the Cavaliers for picking up two technical fouls, and then there was of course the choke hold on Rudy Gobert that earned him a five game suspension. Then came Tuesday, when a swinging backhand from Green caught Jusuf Nurkic in the face, causing the referees to stop play and review the incident. Green was subsequently ejected for his actions.
Green’s Antics Are Becoming A Liability For Golden State
Draymond is now detrimental to the Warriors. Benefits used to outweigh the costs. Not to mention he plays like a domesticated cat against the Lakers instead of a junkyard dog. I’m done.
— Sean Jordan (@BaySean) December 13, 2023
It is the third ejection in the 15 games played for Green, which means that he has been booted from 20% of the games he has played in so far this season. If you take a retroactive look to the end of last season, when Green was ejected from a game and suspended for the next for stomping on the chest of an opponent, he has been ejected or suspended for 10 of the last 35 games for Golden State.
Not great for a guy who is on the payroll for $22.3 million this year.
Draymond Green and the team are awaiting word from the NBA league offices about a potential suspension. There are plenty who are calling for the repeat offender to be handed down a hefty punishment by Adam Silver, given that it appears to be more of a pattern than any set of isolated incidents.
The Warriors are currently 10-13 on the season and are in 11th place in the Western Conference standings, 2.5 games behind the Pelicans for the 10th seed and final spot in the Play-In.
Losing a highly paid starter would typically be detrimental to any team trying to contend for a playoff spot, but the Warriors might actually be better off without Draymond Green.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
