• Draymond Green went in on new teammate Rodney McGruder after facing him in 2021 when McGruder was on the Pistons
• Green mockingly called him a tough guy after he tried scuffling with Juan-Toscano Anderson
• Klay Thompson also had negative things to say about McGruder after that game
The Golden State Warriors have decided to fill out the final spot on their roster by signing former Pistons swingman Rodney McGruder. McGruder will be an end-of-the-bench player for the Warriors but is joining a team where Draymond Green publicly attacked him after a game in 2021.
After a January 2021 matchup between the Warriors and Pistons got a little heated and McGruder decided to intervene and defend Wayne Ellington, Green got really upset and went off in a press conference.
“I don’t know. I was in the locker room. But apparently, he was taking up for Wayne Ellington. When the f**k did Rodney McGruder become the tough guy? I don’t know, man; everybody in the league tough these days… Walking over there talking s**t like he a tough guy. Get the hell outta here. F**king tough guy Rodney.
“Get the hell out of here. F*cking tough guy. Rodney, RODNEY.”
Draymond Green sounded OFF on Rodney McGruder back in 2021 👀
Now McGruder has signed a training camp deal with the Warriors and has the potential to be teammates with Draymond 😬
(via @KNBR)pic.twitter.com/25yPYtdwOL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 25, 2023
What’s really funny is that the Warriors actually chose to sign McGruder over the man he had a disagreement with, Juan-Toscano Anderson, who was also in the running for the last roster spot.
Dwight Howard was a favorite to lock up a spot but it seems the Warriors have decided against adding another big man to their roster.
Klay Thompson Was Also Not A Fan Of Rodney McGruder
This 2021 scuffle between the Pistons and Warriors had an injured Klay Thompson commenting on the situation as well. Despite being a year away from his return, Thompson stuck up for his teammates and boldly said that McGruder’s actions were motivated by him being out of the league soon
“This dude might be out of the league soon; he is probably mad about that.”
McGruder didn’t go out of the league, but couldn’t crack the rotation of one of the worst sides in the NBA over the last few seasons. He averaged 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds with the Pistons last season. It’s not clear why the Warriors prioritized signing someone like McGruder, becoming another baffling summer signing like Cory Joseph.
The Warriors Missed The Mark This Offseason
The Warriors were the sixth seed and a second-round exit last season. The team clearly had a lot of improvement to do, but it doesn’t look like the summer has improved this roster in any tangible way.
Chris Paul is their marquee addition, but they had to sacrifice a 24-year-old 20-point scorer to get 39-year-old Paul, who will take time to adjust to the team’s fast play style.
Dario Saric was a great signing by the team, as he can add size and stretch the floor. This move has the potential to give them a lot of rewards for a minimum player. But the other minimum players cannot guarantee giving the team quality minutes.
Cory Joseph is another former Piston and was teammates with Rodney McGruder. He’s their third-choice point guard behind Stephen Curry and Chris Paul. While he could provide some stable play at the position, the team could have chosen to have a better scoring option in this role. Jaylen Nowell is still a free agency and could’ve provided a little more box score impact, though Joseph’s defensive fundamentals are encouraging for a weak defensive team like Golden State.
McGruder adds depth at either shooting guard or as an undersized small forward. Reinforcing their frontcourt with this move could’ve been a better option, as the Warriors will have rookie Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody fighting behind Klay Thompson for rotational minutes. Stanley Johnson as a defense-first player at either forward spot could have yielded better results.
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