Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been reinstated by the NBA after he served a 12-game suspension for a violent altercation with Phoenix Suns star Jusuf Nurkic. The veteran forward revealed that he had made up his mind to retire due to the vitriol his family faced in the aftermath of the incident. However, he was talked out of it by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who said he wouldn’t let him make the rash decision of quitting his livelihood.
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Former Warriors star DeMarcus Cousins discussed the situation with presenter Rachel Nichols on the Bully Ball podcast. He empathized with Green, saying:
“This whole narrative has been spun out of control. The attack of his character. The attack on him as a human being, as a person. Taking him outside the basketball court. Completely unfair. Did he do some things that crossed the line when it comes to the game of basketball? Absolutely. It shouldn’t determine who he is as a person off the court.”
Nichols then asked Cousins whether Green’s return to the lineup would help the Warriors turn their season around. He responded:
“Draymond coming back or Draymond not being there doesn’t change the fact that the Warriors have issues. There’s so many things that need to be fixed with the Warriors. The addition or subtraction of Draymond Green doesn’t change anything. I think this is a management problem, ownership problem. They’ve put so much money into this team and now the production and the money aren’t matching up.”
Cousins claimed the Warriors need to decide whether to continue squeezing whatever is left in the Green, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry trio or blow the roster up and start over. He is spot on. The Warriors have played 21 games without Green this season and are 10-11. With their veteran forward, they are 7-8. The net result is the same with or without Green.
The Warriors have won four championships with their superstar trio leading the charge. However, with Green’s troubles and Thompson’s inconsistent form, the franchise has to decide whether it’s worth retaining the duo beyond this season.
DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t believe the Warriors will break up the trio this season
While DeMarcus Cousins suggested that the Warriors have a massive decision to make about their superstar trio, he doesn’t believe they’ll make it before the summer. Explaining his belief, he said:
“My gut is telling me I don’t see this team making a drastic move in-season. I think they’ll ride this out and make decisions in the offseason.”
When asked if Green, who is under contract until at least 2026, has any trade value, Cousins explained that defenders of his ability will always have a place in the league. The forward can guard all five positions and brings veteran leadership to a locker room. A slew of teams will line up to land him, despite his age and poor disciplinary record, if the Warriors decide to trade him.
The Warriors can extract some value if they decide to trade Green. However, they are in a sticky spot with Thompson. The veteran guard and one-half of the Splash Brothers will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Thompson, who’ll turn 34 in February, is allegedly seeking one last big contract before retiring. The Warriors likely won’t hand out a massive payday to a 34-year-old who missed two years with an Achilles rupture and an ACL tear.
This season is shaping up as the final year of Green, Thompson, and Curry sharing the court. The trio has delivered four championships to the Warriors and was the driving force behind one of the greatest dynasties in North American sports history.
