“The Good and the Bad”: Paul Pierce Declares Draymond Green Has Earned the Right to Retire with the Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are far removed from their glory days of the late 2010s. Although they still have championship aspirations, the team hasn’t lived up to those expectations. To make matters worse, Draymond Green has continuously been a topic of controversy. Leading to plenty of people calling for the team to move on from the four-time NBA champion. However, Paul Pierce doesn’t agree with that sentiment.

For as long as Green has been in the NBA, he has been quite an unpredictable personality. He plays with his heart on his sleeve, which is one of his greatest traits. On the other hand, it has led to numerous emotional outbreaks, which have been detrimental to the team.

Earlier this season, Green made headlines following his in-game altercation with Steve Kerr. Just a few games later, the officials ejected him after two technical fouls against the Utah Jazz. When the Warriors were dominant, these incidents were easy to overlook.

However, Golden State desperately needs Green on the floor, as his fellow co-stars have stated. “No, no, no, no, no. We need 23 out there,” Butler said following the win against the Jazz.

It’s indisputable that the Warriors are a better team with Green on the court. The problem is that if he’s causing more negatives for the team than positives, some serious conversations may need to happen. Plenty of fans believe that the time is now. There’s a large portion of the NBA community that believes Green’s time with the Warriors has run its course

Paul Pierce doesn’t want to see the Warriors waste Stephen Curry’s final years in the league. But at the same time, he doesn’t think the franchise should exchange Green in the hopes of hunting for another championship. Especially, with these recent emotional outbursts.

“You knew who he was from day one,” Pierce said on the No Fouls Given podcast. “This is who he’s been. This is how you’ve won. But when things aren’t going well, you start looking at the little things.”

This was the same case a few years ago. After Kevin Durant left the Warriors, people blamed Green for ruining the dynasty. However, when the Warriors won it all in 2022, all of the naysayers became silent. Since the struggles have returned, the nitpicking has as well.

In most situations, teams would move on from someone as problematic as Green. The difference is that he has achieved so much for that franchise that Pierce believes he has a level of entitlement to stay with the team.

“He’s entitled to stay there. They’re probably going to build a statue of Draymond. You take him with the good and the bad. During the good years, it was cool. Let him roll,” Pierce added.

As long as Draymond wants to stay in Golden State, Pierce believes he has earned that right. Of course, if Green decides he wants a change of scenery, then that’s an entirely different conversation. However, it appears that as long as Curry is a member of the Warriors, it’s safe to expect Green to be alongside him.