The early iterations of the championship-contending Golden State Warriors teams had an impressive roster of veterans. Leandro Barbosa, who played for the Dubs from 2014 to 2016, was one of those vets who meshed perfectly alongside Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Though it was just a two-year stint, Barbosa had a major impact on GSW’s future championship runs.
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The point guard’s time with the Warriors coincided with a young Draymond Green’s rise to stardom. And Green was driven by a fire within him to prove that he was 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 teammates. Leandro recently spoke about how Draymond’s antics almost had him cut from the team.
It was Barbosa who stepped in to prevent an implosion from happening in the team ranks. “Steve Kerr called me to get the team back under control,” Barbosa said.
“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,” he added.
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 imagine Green not being part of the Warriors, let alone being cut from the team. Kerr had once admitted that the Warriors teams he has coached have two or three fights at the very least during a season. He had even spoken out about how Green 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,” Kerr had said.
Barbosa has also admitted in the past that him and Green had their fair share of issues. “We had a couple [of] issues on the court sometimes. The next thing you see is [that] we were hugging each other. We are family, it happens.”
Dealing with a testy environment in your own locker room isn’t for everyone. But ask anyone on the Golden State roster just how important Dray is to the team’s success, and they would also praise him without any hesitation.
