At some point, enough is enough when it comes to Draymond Green and his antics on the court for the Golden State Warriors. The NBA ultimately decided that what Green did on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns was the final straw, as the league suspended Draymond indefinitely after he struck Suns center Jusuf Nurkic across the face. This resulted in a Flagrant 2 and ejection for Green, his third ejection of the 2023-24 season.
The league's decision to suspend Green indefinitely should not come as a surprise to anyone. Green, who is known for his loud mouth and physical play on the court has been in trouble with officials more times than not and he's been starting altercations on the court this season.
On November 11, Green received two technical fouls and was ejected for getting into it with Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell. Just days later on Nov. 14, Green was ejected against the Minnesota Timberwolves for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold during a scuffle that broke out between Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels. Green received a five-game suspension for this, something that played into the league's decision to now suspend the Warriors forward indefinitely.
Even rewinding a little bit to the 2022-23 season, Green's history of violent behavior and constant ejections is what has ultimately led to this decision. With no details of his suspension being released, Green now faces an uphill battle to try and salvage any reputation he could possibly have around the league. Once a decorated player and a potential future Hall of Famer, Green's future with the Warriors and in the NBA is very much in question at this time.
Aside from the fact that Green's actions are shocking given that he was just recently suspended in November, the veteran star has now put his team in a very awkward position. The Warriors, who gave Green a four-year, $100 million contract in the offseason, now have a major void to fill and they have been struggling this season. In the past, Golden State had been so dominant that they could argue and pick up silly fouls over the course of a game while arguing their points. That has not been the case during the 2023-24 season, as the Warriors look older, worn out, and mentally exhausted from the constant cloud of drama that has surrounded them since winning the 2022 NBA Finals.
At some point, you have to look in the mirror and realize that things need to change. This needs to be true for Draymond and it especially needs to be true for the Warriors, who now find themselves at 10-13 on the season, rapidly spiraling towards the bottom of the league standings after their 6-2 start. This Golden State team and core has not exhibited the same dominance they did for so many years prior and for the first time ever, they have looked outdated.
Is this the end of the Warriors' dynasty as we know it?
With a league-record payroll and luxury tax bill that eclipses $400 million, as well as the mindset and pressure to win by any means necessary coming from owner Joe Lacob, the Warriors are poised to make some major changes. This latest suspension for Draymond is the turning point for one of the most successful professional sports organizations over the last decade.
Details of Draymond Green's suspension
The NBA announced late Wednesday night that Green had been suspended indefinitely, an outcome that took the Warriors forward's prior history of unsportsmanlike acts into account. As part of his suspension, Green will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play. No timeframe was given for this suspension in order to allow the veteran to get the help he needs.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that Green, his agent Rich Paul, and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. will meet on Thursday to start discussing a path of counseling and help for Green to move forward.
As for how the NBA views Draymond's suspension, this was a decision made in order to get the Warriors' star the help he needed in order to not only be a burden to those he plays, but his team as a whole.
“A lot of times people get caught up into like a number. Like, ‘what’s the number?' And we didn’t want to do that,” NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said during ESPN’s First Take on Thursday morning. “What we wanted to do was — first of all, we knew that there would be some level of punishment, but we didn’t want that to be the focus. We wanted the focus to be on how can we help Draymond as well. And we thought indefinite was the best way to do that… Indefinite means get yourself right. We want to see you at your best and the best way for you to do that is to get yourself mentally and emotionally back to where you need to be.
“That's how we got to indefinite.”
Dumars' explanation clearly sums up what the league intended to do here. While punishment is necessary for Green, they also understand that there is a greater problem that needs to be addressed. Getting Green the help he needs is the first step in this process, one the NBA hopes will allow the four-time All-Star to once again play at a level that does not include violence.
Pertaining to Green and his suspension, there is no clear timetable laid out for his return. While he will be allowed to be around the team and practice with the Warriors, his immediate future upon return is clouded. With Green out, the Warriors are prepared to turn to Jonathan Kuminga and the other youthful players on their roster.
Jonathan Kuminga's new role
The Warriors are currently searching for a spark and a player who can help them get back on the path to success. Stephen Curry can only do so much and with both Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson struggling, Jonathan Kuminga has been one of the young players on this roster to step up. Even outside of all the drama surrounding Green and the organization, Kuminga has quietly been putting together a great third season in the NBA.
Featured in 22 games this year, Kuminga has averaged 11.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor. Despite his poor shooting numbers from the perimeter, the former lottery pick is beginning to show more poise and look more confident when forced to make a decision with the ball in his hands on offense.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr trusts Kuminga and his abilities to positively impact the Warriors moving forward. After recording 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting off the bench against the Portland Trail Blazers last week, Kerr discussed the impact Kuminga can make moving forward.
“He was great, he was the key to the game,” Kerr said of Kuminga. “He stayed ready and was out of the rotation because it is hard to play 10 guys… We obviously needed him. The game called for JK… I was so happy for JK that he stayed ready and came in and produced the way he did.”
While he has been in and out of the Warriors' rotation at times this season, Kuminga's role has increased in recent games. Over his last five games, Kuminga has averaged 15.2 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor off the bench. It appears as if Kuminga is beginning to find his stride from distance as well, shooting 47.1 percent from deep during this span.
With Draymond out indefinitely, Kuminga's role is about to grow even more. Kuminga is now the team's No. 1 power forward and will be featured in the Warriors' starting lineup, league sources told ClutchPoints. However, Kerr and the Warriors are expected to roll out various starting lineups over the course of the next couple of weeks based on matchups.
Kuminga's new role with the Warriors is not a temporary placeholder until Green returns. When the veteran is back, his role is the one that will be undefined, as Kuminga has an opportunity to really prove his worth to the Warriors. This is what the young forward wanted last year and now, there is no better time to showcase his potential. As The Athletic's Shams Charania recently alluded to, it is absolutely possible that Green loses his spot to Kuminga.
“You can tell that the team is beginning to trust JK more and more,” one team source who was granted anonymity to speak freely told ClutchPoints. “He's grown in practice from the start of the year and his confidence is so high. Times are tough with everything going on, but he is more than capable of stepping up and doing what is needed.”
Perhaps Kuminga is not the facilitator, nor defender that Draymond is, but he is much more athletic and can run the court with ease. Changes are going to be made to the way the Warriors play, possibly leading to more fast-paced and up-tempo opportunities for Kuminga to display his athleticism in the open court.
Impact of Green's absence
At the end of the day, Green's suspension impacts the core of the Golden State Warriors. This group that has won four championships together has lost confidence, directly resulting in frustrations taking over their chances to succeed.
In addition to Green's future being on the line, this suspension and the team's struggles raise questions about what happens with Kerr and Thompson moving forward.
Thompson is in the final year of his contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. The two sides were said to be far apart in contract negotiations prior to the start of the 2023-24 season and more recently, Charania reported that Thompson turned down a two-year, $48 million extension from the team.
Whereas Green has struggled to remain on the floor this season, Thompson's impact has been abysmal on the offensive side of things. Klay is averaging just 15.4 points per game while shooting 34.3 percent from three-point range, both of which are some of the worst numbers of his career. There's no doubt that the Warriors would like to keep Klay given his impact on the organization all of these years, but the NBA is a business, and losing is not Golden State's vision.
Green's suspension casts a greater light on the issues that exist within the Warriors organization, forcing the front office and ownership to truly examine every aspect of this team. Kerr's immediate future is also in question, especially since his contract is nearing its end as well. While one can assume Kerr would remain with the Warriors past the 2023-24 season given his success as their head coach, the ongoing problems with Green definitely raises some eyebrows.
Whether or not Kerr wants to continue coaching this team may be the biggest question pertaining to his future, as the constant string of problems and lack of continuity may finally be catching up to the Warriors.
Stephen Curry is still playing some of the best basketball of his career. Golden State's only focus right now is to capitalize on the years left in Curry's career in order to compete for more championships. Even though Green, Thompson, and Kerr have been the focal points alongside Steph since their first championship run in 2015, there is just no telling as to what is in store for the Warriors.
These next couple of months leading up to the trade deadline in February will be very telling as to whether this is the end of the golden dynasty for the Warriors.
Follow Us
Subscribe