The Golden State Warriors’ early iterations of championship contending teams saw them accumulate an impressive roster of veterans. Leandro Barbosa was one such vet who meshed perfectly alongside Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Though Barbosa’s time last two years (2014-16), he had a major impact on GSW’s future accomplishments.
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Leandro’s time in the league coincided with Draymond Green’s rise to stardom. With that rise also came a new fire within him to prove himself worthy of being a part of the Warriors’ ‘Big 3’.
Green’s hot-headed personality was an asset when facing off against opposing teams. Having a bruiser on the team is always appreciated. However, when this demeanor bleeds into the locker room, things can get a bit testy between players on the same squad.
In a recent interview, Leandro spoke on his Draymond’s antics almost had him cut from the team. He eventually stepped in to prevent this from happening.
“Steve Kerr called me to get the team back under control. He was losing the team because of Draymond Green. He’s a tough guy to deal with. I told Kerr not to cut him because we would need him. And today he’s who he is. One of the main players on the Warriors.”
Leandrinho explica sua ida ao Golden State Warriors e afirma que Draymond Green seria CORTADO se não fosse ele:
“O Steve Kerr me chamou para poder ter o time nas mãos de novo. Ele estava perdendo o time por motivos do Draymond Green.
Ele é um cara difícil de lidar, ele não… pic.twitter.com/W2Qp35H5Db
— Coast to Coast Brasil | NBA (@brasilcoast2) September 20, 2025
It’s difficult to fathom Green not being on the Warriors, let alone being cut from the team. Though, Kerr did admit that the Warriors teams he’s coached have 2-3 fights at the very least during a season.
He’s even spoken out about how Draymond punching Jordan Poole negatively affected the team. “It destroyed our team. We were trying to repair that all season long, and we never really were able to.”
Barbosa has also admitted in the past that him and Green did have their fair share of issues. “We had a couple issues on the court sometimes. The next thing you see is we were hugging each other. We are family, it happens.”
Being in a testy environment while in your own locker room isn’t for everyone. But ask anyone on Golden State just how important Dray is to the team’s success and they would also praise him without any hesitation.
