The Golden State Warriors fined Draymond Green for punching teammate Jordan Poole, but the four-time All-Star will not be suspended from any games.
“He is going to come back to practice on Thursday. He has been fined. He will not be suspended. I expect him to play Friday in our last preseason game and on opening night., coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Warriors defeated Portland 131-98. “We’ve spent the last week in deep discussions with all of our key figures in the organization, including Jordan and Draymond. I can tell you there have been a lot of conversations individual, one-on-one discussions, players-only discussions, everything that you can think of. All the different combinations that are possible to have in a conversation, we’ve had them. It’s been an exhaustive process.”
Draymond Green has been fined, but not suspended for punching Jordan Poole, per @SteveKerr
Green will rejoin the team on Thursday.
(🎥: @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/PDkjgIBLwm
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 12, 2022
The Warriors played down the altercation until they were forced to address it after the video of Green hitting Jordan was leaked.
Green apologized last week.
“We feel like this is the best way, after assessing everything, for us to move forward. Never easy, no matter what decision you make in a situation like this. It’s not going to be perfect,” said Kerr
The nine-time champion, four with the Warriors, admitted that this was the biggest crisis the team had faced since he took over as coach.
“Really serious stuff. We’re not perfect. Our team isn’t perfect. Bob [Meyers, general manager], and I have definitely made our share of mistakes over the years, but we’re going to lean on the experience we have together over the last nine years and trust that this is the best decision for our team. We have a lot of work to do but were committed to making this a successful season,” said Kerr.
According to a report by Chris Haynes, the fight between Poole and Green was spurred by Poole’s behavior in anticipation of a big contract extension.
Meyers denied Poole’s or Green’s contract, which expires in two years, were the cause of the incident.