The situation in Golden State between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole has been headline news ever since TMZ leaked the video of Green punching Poole. We rarely see exchanges like that between teammates in the modern NBA and have a video get leaked of the same as well.
The NBA is within its authority to punish Draymond for his actions even if it was in a closed Warriors practice. Since the video got out and Draymond’s actions reflect poorly on the league, the league could intervene in this matter and give a punishment since the Warriors chose to not suspend Green.
Marc Stein has confirmed that the league won’t intervene in the matter and let the Warriors handle the situation on their own.
All signs continue to point to the NBA leaving all Draymond Green discipline to the Warriors, who elected to fine but not suspend Green for punching teammate Jordan Poole.
The NBA's general policy: Teams should handle practice matters.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cV7Dif
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 12, 2022
The league shouldn’t really get involved in something that is clearly a team issue for the Warriors. The NBA punishing Draymond when the Warriors chose not to would have caused players to be upset. This being the preseason has helped Draymond as well, as this happening midseason might have led to a suspension from the team or the league itself.
Will The Warriors Accept Green Again?
There have been many telling comments from the Warriors’ side in recent days that show Draymond has done some serious damage to morale and trust in the locker room. Kevon Looney and Steve Kerr both have talked about Draymond needing to earn the trust of the locker room again.
Despite this incident, everybody recognizes the value Draymond brings to the team and nobody wants to lose that over this incident. Unwittingly, this incident might hurt Draymond’s desire to stay with the Warriors long-term as this will have an impact on his extension negotiations.
Hopefully, Green’s relationship with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson helps bridge the gap between the young players and him after this incident, as they all need to be on the same page to retain their championship.
