Everyone around the basketball world has been buzzing over the last several days about the incident in which Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole during a Golden State Warriors practice session.
Video of the incident leaked, and some are speculating that it could perhaps mean there is trouble in paradise for the defending NBA champs and reigning dynasty.
To his credit, Green publicly apologized, and he even decided to step away from the team a bit, presumably to clear his head and get himself centered before the regular season started.
Still, the incident has added some murkiness to an upcoming situation that is starting to percolate for Golden State.
Green has a player option for next season, while Poole, who is a very bright and productive young player, will become a free agent next summer.
The Warriors, as it stands, already have a huge luxury tax bill, and with Green demanding a maximum extension, they may not be able or willing to pay both of them to remain in the fold.
Perhaps the incident will blow over and be a non-factor, but economics could turn out to be the downfall of their dynasty.
Green Is Invaluable To The Warriors
If a casual basketball fan looks at Green’s stats, he or she may conclude that he isn’t that important to Golden State’s success.
He averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game last season, and he usually puts up a “single-double” – single digits in all three categories.
However, the 6-foot-6 forward is the rare player whose value goes well beyond his numbers.
He is a Swiss Army knife who can handle the ball and run the fast break, hit the open man, secure defensive rebounds and, when he’s in the right mood, look to score.
Green is a jack of all trades, but unlike most jacks of all trades, he is also a master of one: defense.
He was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2016-17 season, and he is seemingly a prime candidate for the award every year.
In addition, Green is the Warriors’ emotional and spiritual leader.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, their two other mainstays over the years, are as low-key and even-keeled as it gets, but Green is their polar opposite on the emotional spectrum.
It is for perhaps that reason that Green has gotten himself into incidents such as the one with Poole, and at times, they have been costly for the Warriors.
He was suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, and many still feel the Warriors, who had a 3-1 series lead going into that contest, would’ve clinched the championship had Green not been suspended.
If Draymond Green had never got suspended in game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals, would the GSW win the NBA Championship?🤔 pic.twitter.com/JQ2FPX7yZD
— ☆⁶ (@HoopsAccess) April 2, 2020
Green Or Poole?
It’s hard for basketball experts to see Golden State’s dynasty continuing if Green leaves it one way or another.
There is always a chance it could trade him if it feels there is no way it could come to an agreement with him on a new contract, and in fact, one NBA star thinks Green staged the incident with Poole in order to make his way to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Draymond is tryna get to LA.
Damn ! 😳— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) October 7, 2022
There’s a feeling that if the Warriors don’t trade Green and let both him and Poole hit free agency, they could simply pay Poole and let Green walk.
It may be better for their future, but it may also mean they won’t win another world championship with Curry and Thompson.
NEXT: Steph Curry Is Working Hard To Heal The Warriors