Golden State Warriors lone benefit amid Draymond Green's suspension could be worth over $10,000,000
Draymond Green has been handed an indefinite suspension for striking Phoenix Suns' big man Jusuf Nurkic on Tuesday. However, the Golden State Warriors might find some monetary relief in it following NBA's announcement.
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the suspension amounts for Draymond Green are $153,941 per game if the suspension is fewer than 20 games. This will rise to $202,922 per game if the suspension extends beyond 20 games.
Marks said Golden State stands to save a minimum of $519,555 toward the tax for each game that Draymond Green is suspended.
The Warriors hold the highest luxury tax payroll in the league, valued at $207,889,207, and a luxury tax bill of $192,517,654 according to Spotrac. A 20-game suspension for Draymond Green could result in savings exceeding $10 million for the Warriors in terms of tax payments.
Green is currently in the first year of a four-year, $100 million contract with the Warriors. For this year, he reportedly has a base salary of $22,321,429.
Details of Draymond Green's suspension
Green drew a Flagrant 2 foul when he punched Suns’ big man Jusuf Nurkić in the face during the third quarter of the Warriors-Suns game, which Phoenix won.
The incident with Nurkic marked the fourth occasion within a calendar year that Draymond Green was involved in an incident leading to a suspension.
In suspending Green indefinitely, the NBA cited his recurrent history of unsportsmanlike fouls. Green will need to fulfill specific conditions set by both the league and the team before he can play again.
“Green's suspension will begin immediately. He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the NBA said in a news release.
In March, Green received a one-game suspension due to his 16th technical foul. A month later, he was suspended for one game for stomping on Sacramento Kings' Domantas Sabonis. Just last month, he faced a five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock.
After the game, Green apologized to Nurkic, saying he was merely attempting to sell a call.
"[Nurkic] was pulling my hip, and I was swinging away to sell the call and made contact with him," Green said.
"As you know, I'm not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf. I didn't intend to hit him... A replay is never gonna look good, but I know my intentions, and my intentions were to sell the call.”