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It’s not easy finding an employer paying $27 million annually, let alone one willing to overlook a string of physical altercations. Yet somehow, Draymond Green had exactly that with the Golden State Warriors before opting out of the final year of his contact this week in hopes of finding a better deal by the Bay, where he’s won four titles, or with a new team.
In a normal job market, Green’s recent past would make that difficult: He’s been violent, punching LeBron James in the groin and kicking Steven Adams’s twice; he once mistakenly posted an image of his genitals on social media, claiming to have ‘hit the wrong button;’ and even his coach, Steve Kerr, was caught saying he’s ‘f***ing sick of Draymond’s s***.’
This season, Green was ejected from a playoff game and suspended for another after stomping on Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis. And that transgression was dwarfed by his preseason attack on Jordan Poole, when he shockingly punched his teammate in the face during an October practice.
Rather than being firm with Green, the Warriors fined him an undisclosed amount while asking him to apologize and take a few days for quiet reflection. In fact, the Warriors remain so committed to Green they agreed to trade Poole, instead, sending the young guard to Washington this week for Chris Paul. The deal not only resolves any lingering tensions, but also frees up cap space that could be used to sign Green to a long-term deal.
And therein lies Green’s dichotomy: Despite his behavior, his reputation for defense, and winning is irresistible to NBA teams, so much so that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith insists the 33-year-old is still worth $100million in free agency.
Draymond Green recently opted out of the final year and $27million of his deal
Draymond Green is seen connecting with LeBron James’ groin during the 2016 NBA Finals
Green (second from left) has won four titles with Iguodala (left), Thompson (center), and Curry
Born in gritty Saginaw, Michigan in 1990, Green’s game is a reflection of his surroundings.
Defense and toughness defined the Detroit Pistons teams of the 1980s and early 1990s, not to mention the Michigan State Spartans under Jud Heathcote and Tom Izzo.
It was the latter who recruited Green out of Saginaw High School, where he won a Class A state title in 2007.
At 6-foot-6, the burly Green had just enough size to play power forward for an elite Division I program, but it was passion that set him apart.
Unfortunately, that passion was often a detriment to his development.
‘At first, every time he missed a shot, he’d kick the ball across the court,’ Izzo told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2017. ‘I told him practices were going to last five hours a day, just fetching the ball.’
The clip shows Draymond Green exchanging words with Jordan Poole before punching him
Green battled conditioning issues as a freshman, but Izzo was relentless, helping to turn him into the hard worker he is today.
‘He was always so hard on me,’ Green told the Chronicle. ‘My mom was hard on me and you think that you get out of the house and get away from that and, here it is, 10 times worse.
‘But when you realize someone wants you to be successful even more than you want to be successful, it’s a shocker. When you do comprehend it, it builds a love and a bond that’s unbreakable. And that’s where we are.’
It’s a similar relationship to the ones Green has built with Kerr and his long-time Warriors teammates, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Since falling to the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft, the former All-American has been punishing the teams that overlooked him coming out of Michigan State.
He, Curry and Thompson developed into the core of one of the league’s greatest dynasties, winning four titles while Green picked up NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017.
It hasn’t always been fun. He’s challenged his All-Star teammates at times, including an infamous bench confrontation with then-Warriors forward Kevin Durant in 2018.
‘He comes to the bench and he slaps the bench like, ”Yo! Pass me the f***ing ball,” Green told the Up In Smoke podcast. ‘I’m like, ”Get the f*** outta here. F***ing run then.” And he’s like, ”You heard what the f*** I said” and slaps the chair: ”Pass me the f***ing ball.” I’m like, ”Yo, you better calm the f*** down. I don’t know who the f*** you think you’re talking to.”
Draymond Green (23) kicks Steven Adams (12) in the groin after Adams fouled him in 2016
Green reacts to being called for a flagrant foul for kicking Steven Adams in the groin in 2016
Green fights with Bradley Beal in 2017
Durant has since signed in Brooklyn and was traded to Phoenix, while Green has remained in San Francisco, propelling the Warriors to a difficult NBA Finals win over the Boston Celtics in 2022.
And according to Curry, Green was an essential piece of that title run.
‘In a situation like this series where things are not as smooth and you have some rough patches, he finds a way to respond with the right energy and approach and toughness that, if you’re watching the game, you notice him at all times because he’s kind of everywhere,’ Curry told reporters in June of 2022.
‘We need that grit. We are not in the Finals without him playing at such a high level all year long, the first three series.’
Even after Green was suspended for stomping on Sabonis, the Warriors front office rushed to his defense.
General manager Bob Myers, who has since stepped down, described Green as a ‘complicated guy,’ but one whose intensity is invaluable.
‘If you want to talk about what he’s done for the organization, that’s not up for dispute.’ Myers told reporters in April.
‘Winning is messy if you want to be honest about it… there’s an edginess to it,’ Myers continued. ‘There is tension. Certainly, he’s crossed that line but he has been punished for it… Draymond is not perfect. But I haven’t met anyone who is perfect… he’s been a big part of a lot of winning.’
Green poses for a photo with his wife Hazel Renee and stepdaughter after winning a title
Despite their past issues, James and Green are friends, who share agent Rich Paul (lower right)
Even some of Green’s victims have seemingly forgiven him. For instance, James, who shares an agent with Green, attended his rival’s wedding to actress Hazel Renee last year. (Green has two young sons, Draymond Jr. and Cash, as well as a stepdaughter, Olive Jay)
Now the Warriors and the rest of the NBA need to weigh those positives and negatives, and ask if Green is still worth 10-figure salaries as he enters his mid-30s.
To some, like ESPN’s Smith, it isn’t a difficult question.
‘Draymond Green is easily worth another $100million,’ Smith said recently. ‘It’s not just about offense, is it? Draymond is one of the elite defensive players in this game….one of the elite basketball minds in this game – the synergy he has with Steph Curry.
‘Draymond Green deserves a three-to-four-year extension averaging $27[million] to $30million,’ Smith said.
And the Warriors haven’t been bashful about expressing a desire for Green’s return.
Tom Izzo, Green’s coach at Michigan State, has remained a loyal defender to the ex-Spartan
New general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said as much to reporters recently, adding that he ‘feels confident we can navigate’ Green’s contract demands.
Other teams could extend offers as well, including the Pistons, who have the cap space and a core of budding, young stars who could potentially learn a lot from a veteran like Green.
That may surprise some, given Green’s erratic reputation, but as Izzo explained in 2017, there is much more to the man than his occasional outbursts.
‘It bothers me,’ Izzo said of Green’s reputation. ‘Both for him and for the people who don’t know him. What makes him special is his toughness and his high basketball IQ. If you take one away it might make him a different player. But I have complete confidence he’ll figure it out.’
