Draymond Green Avoids Suspension, To Pay Fine Instead

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been fined after a heated altercation that saw him take a punch at teammate Jordan Poole.

After the Warriors’ 131-98 preseason victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, head coach Steve Kerr provided an update on the status of Draymond Green. Kerr says that Green will pay a fine after punching teammate Jordan Poole during practice. It’s worth noting that Green has avoided suspension, as it’s expected that he will make his first appearance in the Warriors’ last preseason match on Friday, October 14.

This development should be quite a relief on the part of Draymond, who decided to take an indefinite time away from the team. The former Defensive Player of the Year also said that he issued an apology to Poole and to the whole team on Thursday, after which he left the Warriors’ facility and didn’t join the team’s practice. 

News of the Green-Poole altercation reached a heightened level when TMZ released a video of the incident, showing Poole collapsing to the ground after taking a punch from Green. Poole did participate in Warriors practices after the incident and even showed out with a 25-point performance in the team’s preseason match against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Still, this is a situation that might be considered uncharted territory for the Warriors. Kerr says that this is the “biggest crisis” that the team has experienced since he assumed head coaching duties in 2014. There’s still no definite explanation as to the cause of the incident, but Kerr, Green, and Warriors general manager Bob Myers already said that contract negotiations didn’t play any part in the altercation.

Draymond Green, who played a vital role in the Warriors’ successful 2022 title run, averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks last season. The four-time All-Star also has two years left in his contract with the Warriors.