“I Survived”: Draymond Green, Who Spent 4 Weeks In Suspension, Breathes Easy After Warriors’ Silent Trade Stint

With the season the Golden State Warriors are having, they were expected to be proactive in the trade market. There were even rumours of them breaking apart their core, an official end to the Warriors’ Big Three. Given Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins’ slump in performance and Draymond Green‘s one too many suspensions, many were ready to write them off. However, surprisingly, they were among the few teams that chose silence over spectacle. The only move the Dubs made on Thursday was moving backup point guard Cory Joseph to the Indiana Pacers.

Although the Cory Joseph trade “sucks,” as Green mentions in “The Draymond Green Show,” he, for one, can finally breathe a sign of relief that the worst is over. The trade deadline is quite unpredictable, with the possibility of any player being moved at any moment. Green, who has been at the heart of controversies surrounding the Warriors, was one of the primary targets, according to pundits. Therefore, he expressed his gratitude for surviving his 12th trade deadline on his podcast. “I survived my twelfth trade deadline, which is exciting and amazing feeling because you just never know. You can be as certain as you wanna be until you are not, so I’m excited about that,” reflected the 33-year-old.

This season alone, Dray has been suspended twice. He was first suspended for five games without pay for “escalating an on-court altercation,” putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock on Nov. 15. Just six games later, he was once again in hot waters for striking Phoenix Suns’ center Jusuf Nurkic across the face on December 12. Consequently, the league suspended him indefinitely on Dec. 13, keeping in mind his “history of unsportsmanlike acts.” He was then reinstated by the league on Jan. 6 and returned to action on Jan. 15. Considering his past behavior, is Green worth the distractions he comes with, or did the Warriors make the right choice?

Was it wise for the Warriors to keep Draymond Green?

Ever since the Warriors’ emotional leader has returned to the lineup, the team has looked much more cohesive. They are 6-3 in the last nine games, where two of their non-overtime losses were by a margin of one point to the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, courtesy of Draymond Green. The Warriors have outscored opponents by 124 points in the 291 minutes their defensive anchor has been on the floor since the return.

The Warriors had the second-worst defense in the NBA during his second suspension, whereas now they boast a 112.2 rating, seventh best in the league during that 10-game sample. As a sign of Green’s commitment to improving his discipline, he has yet to be charged with a technical or flagrant foul since returning.

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Therefore, without a speck of doubt, keeping Green on the roster was the best course of action for the struggling Warriors.

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