A week after punching teammate Jordan Poole during practice, Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined by the team for his actions, coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Tuesday night. The All-Star forward will not face a suspension, and is expected to return to practice on Thursday.
Green had been spending time away from the team in the aftermath of the conflict, while the rest of the team continues with the preseason schedule. Golden State defeated Portland, 131-98, on Tuesday.
Video of the altercation was leaked to TMZ last week, which shows the two players exchange words. Green then slowly walks towards Poole and gets in his face before Poole pushes Green. That leads to Green punching Poole and taking him down. Other members of the Warriors came in to separate the two after the altercation.
Green is in the final year of his contract with the Warriors, though he does have a $27 million player option for next season. It’s possible for this to be his final year with the franchise that drafted him, with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith speculating that Green’s preferred destination is the Lakers.
“Draymond Green is expecting this to be his last year in Golden State. Now, he wanna be a Laker,” Smith said. “He ain’t gonna tell anybody that, but don’t think I don’t know. He’d prefer to be a Laker if he gotta leave Golden State.”
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