The Golden State Warriors are coming off two straight victories and are back to .500 on the season. However, that headline takes a back seat to another Draymond Green incident after the veteran forward got into it with head coach Steve Kerr on the bench.
Green and Kerr were yelling at each other during third-quarter timeout, leaving the former deciding and Green to leave the bench entirely, go back to the locker room and not take any further part in a 120-97 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Both Green and Kerr downplayed the incident after the game, but it makes one wonder whether the Warriors have to do something drastic.
Warriors may have to trade Draymond Green after latest incident
Green is obviously the backbone of the Warriors. He and Stephen Curry are the heart and soul of the team and have been the life force behind the team’s championship run over the past decade. While he can often cross the line and is unpopular with every other team in the league, Green’s fire and tenacity can give the Warriors a huge advantage so long as he doesn’t go too far.
But with incidents like the one on Monday night, one cannot help but wonder if there are times when he does more harm than good. The Warriors feel like they are building a bit of momentum, something that’s been rare in a season with so many ups and downs on the way to a 15-15 record.
Yet that momentum could be sapped by the Green-Kerr incident, particularly when it’s all anyone wants to talk about and ultimately takes away from what was one of the more impressive wins of their season.
Not only has Green caused a distraction, but the Warriors have arguably been better without him on the floor. After he returned from an injury, the 4x All-Star has been turning the ball over more which just cannot happen when he’s already limited back a lack of scoring.
What if the Warriors just decided to rid themselves of the distraction by trading Green? It is something that has been floated in the past after incidents but has never come to fruition. He, Curry, and Kerr are like family, meaning the latter two would probably have to give the okay on a trade which they may be unwilling to do after all they’ve been through.
There was a time when it was inconceivable that Klay Thompson would ever wear anything other than a Warriors jersey, making it now not so impossible that Green could also depart albeit in different circumstances.
Golden State would obviously have to get something very nice in return for Green — a proven player who could help them win instantly. Maybe packaging him and Jonathan Kuminga, along with future draft capital, together in a trade package could get a decent return if the Warriors were willing to go down that avenue.
Trading Green feels unlikely, but the Warriors need to crack the code on this season somehow. It feels like they have to make a move if they want to be more than an average team, and maybe trading a franchise legend is the big shake up that’s required.