The situation between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole finally seems to have moved toward a resolution. The Warriors have announced that Draymond will not be suspended, though the star voluntarily stepped away from the team in the past few days. He is expected to return on Thursday as the Warriors get ready for their opening night clash against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has given a final picture of what Draymond’s relationship with the team will be like going forward. He openly said that Dray broke 8 years’ worth of trust but will be given the benefit of the doubt by him and the team because Green has earned it through his years of service.
Steve Kerr: "Draymond and I have been together for eight years. We've had plenty of run-ins … (but) I trust him. He broke our trust with this incident, but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he’s earned that — and I think our team feels the same way." https://t.co/AktkrLN3l3
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 12, 2022
The Warriors are a championship organization and will be able to handle this and move on toward defending their championship. Jordan Poole might have some sour feelings for a while, but the team will figure out a way to quell the tension between Green and Poole to prevent it from affecting them on the court.
Can Poole And Green Co-Exist?
Steve Kerr has already expressed confidence in the ability of both Draymond and Poole to put this behind them and move on for the best of the team. Poole is already being satiated by talks of him being a part of the future of the franchise, boding well for his eventual contract extension.
On the flip side, even if Draymond can move on from this, this doesn’t improve his contract position. Green is probably in a worse position now than he was 2 weeks ago when none of this had transpired. Players and coaches have talked about lost trust, and the franchise has more reason not to extend the 32-year-old forward on a max contract extension.
For this season, both players have no choice but to co-exist, as no extensions have been handed out yet. Poole could lose out on the projected $120 million or more that he could receive if he has a stinker of a season and is a locker-room problem. Green could lose out on the opportunity to remain a Warrior entirely if he doesn’t play by the rules, so a lot is on the line for both of these players.
