SAN FRANCISCO– A sudden and harsh reality rushed to the surface when Draymond Green checked out around the 4:36 mark in the fourth quarter, with his team down 18 to the Philadelphia 76ers– this could be Green's final moment as a Golden State Warrior.

With Green at the center of a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package, it's possible that the sight of Green quietly high-fiving teammates and putting on his blue and yellow warm-up jacket could be it. It could be the lasting and concluding image of the player who helped bring Golden State four NBA championships and all the winning that came with it.

After the Warriors' 113-94 loss to the Sixers, Green fielded questions regarding his unfamiliar, uncertain future, with the trade deadline drawing closer by the minute. Green maintained, as he did last week, that he's not sweating what may potentially be on the horizon, but acknowledged the gravity of the heavy possibility.

“It doesn't wear on me, it just is what it is,” Green said. “I'd say over the last couple of days it's gotten more real to me. But it doesn't wear on me. I can't control it, so I don't worry about things I can't control… It's a possibility that I might get traded. It's kind of just what it's like– yeah. But at some point, it's going to come to an end. Whether that's [in] a day or two, or a year or two, it's going to come to an end at some point. You've got to be okay with that.”

Everything regarding Green in the Dubs' final game before the trade deadline, from his final substitution to his somber press conference, felt like the opposite of what Green has meant to this franchise and fanbase. It was quiet, it was unsatisfying, it was unceremonious, and it was hushed– the exact opposite of a player as fiery and passionate as Green.

The end feels realer than ever for Draymond Green

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts during the third period against the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center.
Justine Willard-Imagn Images

Sure, Green was emotional and honest and reflective. Green talked about the moment the reality of his situation felt real– when his long-time coach Steve Kerr pulled him aside to check in on him and asked how his wife Hazel was handling it. Green shared how he had to tell his son, DJ, that he might be getting traded. The 9-year-old didn't quite understand the logic behind it, so he might be the only one not sweating a potential Green departure.

So that part of the strange and somber night felt distinctly Draymond Green. His honesty and emotional IQ go under the radar for those who don't listen to his usually long and reflective post-game pressers.

But for a player as spirited as Green, for a player as striking and captivating as he is when everything is clicking, the night ultimately felt hollow. And unsatisfying.

Maybe the old NBA adage is true– endings in basketball are rarely pretty. And for Green, of late, age and time have seemed to have caught up to his game. It's been a struggle this season across the board for the 35-year-old as his offense has become a liability, and the typically lively defense has waxed and waned.

But could this really be how it ends for the former DPOY and nine-time all-defensive player? In a game without his iconic partner, Stephen Curry? In a game where they lost by 19 in a dispirited, uncompetitive affair? Will that really be the curtain call on arguably the second most important player in Warriors history?

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The one moment that felt like textbook Draymond

It's still not certain that this is the end of the line for Green and the Golden State Warriors. A lot can (not) happen in the next 36 hours. Maybe the Milwaukee Bucks go with another offer. Maybe they stand pat. It's quite possible the trade deadline comes and goes, and Green remains a Warrior. And maybe this somber night for Green is but a preview of when he retires with the Warriors in two or three years.

But if this is Green's final game with the Warriors, the lasting image, the lasting conclusion, should not be his anticlimactic fourth-quarter substitution with the Dubs down big. If there was one moment in a night of uncertainty that channeled quintessential Draymond Green, it rests in his reflection on where he is emotionally with the situation.

“I think a lot of people want to know how I feel about it. If I'm upset about it,” Green said. “I'm not at all. If that's what's best for this organization, that's what's best for the organization. I'm not like, ‘Oh man, they fucked me over,' or something like that. I don't really feel that way.”

“This guy from Saginaw has been in a place for 13 and a half years. I don't know that ends at 13 and a half years, but if it does, what a f***ing run it has been. I'll take the fine for it. What a f***ing run it has been.”

If this is the end for Green and the Warriors, there won't be hard feelings. It's hard to erase all the joy and satisfaction that comes from four titles and a decade-plus of basketball dominance. And as Green faces what might be the end, he remains his defiantly fiery self.

“That's just how I feel, you know? I don't sleep well after games. So if I lose sleep tonight, I promise y'all, it's not because I think I'm getting traded.”

The NBA trade deadline is February 5 at 3 p.m. EST. We'll know by then if this is the end of an era for Green and Golden State.