Golden State Warriors Rumors: Locker room still affected by Draymond Green's incident with Jordan Poole
Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in the offseason was a dark cloud surrounding the Golden State Warriors at the start of the season. The latest rumors suggest that the incident continues to affect the locker room despite showing some consistency on the court over the past month.
A Western Conference executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports that the relationship between the players has changed this season. The executive described the situation as different from previous years and there was "coldness" within the defending champions.
"Poole is a professional," the exec said. "He is a young guy, he can be emotional, he does not back down. That’s one reason why he got into it with Draymond to begin with, but he is not going to hurt the team. Draymond has free agency to worry about in July. He can’t be an a**hole anymore, not this year.
"So, nothing is brewing between the two. They are not getting into fights every day. But you talk to people there, and the whole thing still is sitting over the whole team, the camaraderie is not the same. The way guys open up to one another, that is not there, and you can't force it to be there. You talk to guys who have been there a while, and there is a coldness that that team does not usually have."
Draymond Green has already apologized to Jordan Poole, his family and to the Golden State Warriors organization. The two can be seen during games dapping and hugging each other like they used to.
However, the Warriors as a team have been different since they hover around a .500 record halfway through the season.
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Draymond Green sending mix signals about his future with the Golden State Warriors
Draymond Green could opt out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent. Green told Taylor Rooke of Bleacher Report last week that he understands the business of the NBA. He acknowledged the Golden State Warriors' luxury tax concerns and insinuated that it might be his final season with them.
"I understand the luxury tax," Green said. "I understand you got these young guys and contracts up, and they have to get paid. I understand all of those things, and so just for me, when I say the writing is on the wall, that's what I mean by the writing's on the wall. I just understand the business side."
Despite hinting about his future, Green was also confident about the Warriors' chances of repeating as NBA champions during their visit to the White House on Tuesday.
"It's been a very great visit and looking forward to coming back next year," Green said with a smirk.
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