Has the Draymond Green Jordan Poole Situation Put the Golden State Warriors in HUGE Trouble?

The Golden State Warriors were primed for a repeat. After winning their fourth championship in eight years, Stephen Curry and company look to be in the hunt for yet another title and recent changes over the summer have ensured that the Dubs are still trying to win now. Sure, they lost key bench pieces during the offseason, but their additions seem more than enough to fill their void. Klay Thompson will be back healthier. James Wiseman, the Warriors’ prized 2nd overall pick from the 2019 NBA draft. Jordan Poole, who finished 4th in Most Improved Player voting, looks to capitalize on his breakout season and improve his numbers. Youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody look to contribute and shine in bigger roles after a year of valuable championship experience on their belts.
All seemed well.
But everything changed when for possibly the hundredth time this offseason, the basketball world was turned upside down when Lead NBA Insider for The Athletic, Shams Charania dropped a bombshell of a tweet, saying that “there was a physical altercation at [the Golden State] Warriors’ practice that has the team considering disciplinary action against Draymond Green”.
The situation got even worse when Chris Haynes from Yahoo Sports followed up the Charania report with a tweet of his own, suggesting that the incident was potentially started by Poole, saying that “there was a buildup stemming from teammates noticing a change in Poole’s behavior throughout camp with the guard on the verge of securing a lucrative extension,” alluding to Poole’s impending rookie extension, which he became eligible for this year.
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Realistically, they can choose to keep all four players. Nothing is stopping them from doing that. Curry alluded to it on media day, saying that they “want to keep it together as long as we can. That’s the goal.” (15:54-15:58) But according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, owner Joe Lacob wouldn’t be willing to pay a tax bill that would go well beyond the $362 million paid last season. Which means that the teams will be making some big decisions in the offseason. Golden State’s continuity has been one of the most overlooked factors that has allowed them to essentially be in a position to contend for the title almost every year, retooling with minimal loss. That’s something that a lot of teams try to replicate. It’s what makes them a dynasty, like Michael Jordan’s Bulls or Popovich’s Spurs. They have been cultivating that culture since 2014, when Steph and Klay started to break out and become stars.
Props to Draymond for taking the time to admit his faults, but this should never have happened in the first place. In fact, this isn’t the Warriors first rodeo with Green and his antics.
During the 2016 Finals, Green committed a flagrant foul on LeBron James that led to a suspension for Game 5. Coming into Game 5, Golden State led the series 3-1. With Green out for the game, James and the Cavaliers were able to win the game and ultimately the series. Green was also widely believed to be the catalyst for Kevin Durant’s 2019 departure from the Warriors, starting with a shouting match on the bench seen in this video.
Historically Green has been known to have a short fuse. But, he is also paramount to Golden State’s title defense.
The Warriors losing Green would be a huge detriment but losing Poole would be too. Lacob and General Manager Bob Myers are in a precarious position, and it may ultimately come down to choosing between Green and Poole. Poole, 23, has taken leaps every year since his rookie season. He finished last year as the league leader in free throw percentage over his teammate Steph Curry. According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Poole’s combination of age and scoring prowess are contributing factors for him to surpass Green and even Thompson in terms of value for the Warriors. Poole’s dynamic scoring ability also helps his case as Curry’s natural successor, and he will probably be this year’s frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year.
This situation feels eerily similar to what unfolded in Oklahoma City in 2012, when the Thunder chose Serge Ibaka, their best defensive player at the time, over James Harden, then an up-and-coming combo guard who had already won a Sixth Man of the Year for 2012. Oklahoma City traded Harden to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first round picks and a second rounder. That trade is now considered one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, as Harden blossomed as the first option and superstar for the Rockets.

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