LOS ANGELES, CA – Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors are preparing to be without Draymond Green for potentially an extended period of time as he deals with the ramifications of his NBA-issued suspension.

On Wednesday, the league issued an indefinite suspension to Green for his spinning hit to the face of Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.

“This outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, announced in a release. “Green’s suspension will begin immediately. He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke with members of the media on Thursday ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“The suspension makes sense,” Steve Kerr admitted. “To me, this is about more than basketball. It’s about helping Draymond. It’s an opportunity for him to step away and to make a change in his approach, in his life, and that's not an easy thing to do. That's not something where you say, ‘okay, we'll do five games and then he's gonna be fine.' The league did that and five games after the incident with Rudy [Gobert], that's not the answer to pick a number. The answer is to help Draymond and give him the help he needs, give him an opportunity to make a change that will not only help him, help our team, but help him for the rest of his life.

“It's not just about an outburst on the court. This is about his life. This is about someone who I believe in, someone who I have known for a decade who I love for his loyalty, his commitment, his passion, his love for his teammates, his friends, his family. We're trying to help that guy. Because the one who choked Rudy [Gobert], the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf [Nurkic], the one who punched Jordan [Poole] last year, that’s the guy who has to change. And he knows that.”

The last 14 or so months for Draymond Green have been extremely concerning. He punched Warriors teammate Jordan Poole during a training camp practice. Later in the 2023 postseason, he stepped on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis for no reason.

Draymond Green served a five-game suspension for inexplicably choking Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert during a small exchange in a game earlier this season. Now, he'll serve an indefinite suspension for the dangerous spinning smack to the face of Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Tuesday night.

The Warriors, who are 10-13 on the year, don't have an easy stretch of games coming up, and there's a real chance this suspension could go beyond 10 games.

“We've got to give it a few days and feel what this is about,” Steve Kerr added. “I think the team needs a little space, he needs a little space. I think Draymond will do what he feels is right, what we feel is right, and then move forward. The hard part with this, again, is it's not a sprained ankle. This is not four-to-six weeks and I'll give you an update next week. That's not what this is. This is much bigger than that and much more difficult to assess and take care of, so we have to give him the space and the time and the support he needs.”

The Warriors take on the Clippers Thursday night, and their next 10 games will be against the Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, the Blazers again, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, and the Nuggets again