The suspension without pay of Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green culminated hours of organizational conversations Tuesday in which senior leadership expressed concern over the fallout from a combustible Monday night in Los Angeles that pitted All-Star teammates, league sources told ESPN.
Witnesses to the locker-room scene in the aftermath of an on-court confrontation between Green and Kevin Durant at Staples Center called it one of the most volatile episodes of the Warriors’ dynastic run.
The Warriors hierarchy was unwilling to dismiss it as an ordinary NBA dust-up, and ultimately decided that Green’s verbiage, especially toward Durant, rose to the level of significant discipline.
“We just felt like this rose to the level of acting the way that we did,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said at a news conference before Tuesday’s game in Oakland. “That’s a decision that we have to make. I’m certainly involved in it, so is Steve [Kerr]. … This was something that required the action that we decided upon.”
The suspension of Green for Tuesday night’s game against Atlanta, which will cost him $120,480, comes at the risk of further impacting a Warriors locker room in which Green has been the dominant voice during the team’s three championships in four seasons.
One of the inescapable questions already being asked about Green’s suspension centered on Durant’s looming free agency and how choosing to punish Green could escalate tensions between the star players.
Green can be a free agent in 2020, but Durant’s sensitivity is well-documented, and it is clear that he was unhappy with how events played out on Monday night.
Myers said he was confident that Green and the team could move past the matter.
“Knowing him for however many years I’ve known him, if caring too much is something that he struggles with, well, that’s who he is,” Myers said of Green. “We felt that this action merited the decision we made, but I have every confidence that he can move forward with it, our team can move forward with it, our organization, our players. Because again, this is part of the NBA, this is part of what happens.”
An angry late-game exchange on the bench between Durant and Green carried into Staples Center’s visiting locker room, with several of Green’s teammates challenging him on his decision-making on the final play of regulation, sources said. Durant showered quickly and exited the locker room immediately.
Green was forceful in his defense of himself, which helped to escalate the volume and intensity within the room, sources said.
Durant was visibly upset when Green gathered a defensive rebound in the final moments of a tie game and dribbled the ball up the court before losing control without taking a shot. Durant had been slapping his hands, calling for the ball.
Durant and Green argued on the sideline during a timeout shortly afterward. The Clippers beat the Warriors 121-116 in overtime.
Durant left the locker room abruptly, marching directly toward the team bus. His summer free agency, along with teammate Klay Thompson‘s, hangs over the franchise as it pursues a third straight NBA title. Green was one of the primary Warriors players responsible for recruiting Durant to Golden State three years ago from Oklahoma City.