Draymond Green (#23) and Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, June 16, 2022. /CFP
The Golden State Warriors are "aggressively investigating" the leak of the video showing a clash between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole during practice on Wednesday, according to ESPN.
During a practice session that was closed to media, Green and Poole were first seen exchanging words on the court but then Green approached Poole, who pushed him away in response. Green then knocked Poole down with a punch. The video didn't show what happened before or after this incident.
TMZ posted this clip on Twitter on Friday morning and it generated millions of views in hours. The Warriors are taking "every legal course of action" to investigate the leak, according to ESPN.
Green apologized for his action on Thursday. The team's general manager Bob Myers told reporters that he doesn't expect Green to miss any games for punishment.
L-R: Jordan Poole, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after the team scores in the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, April 3, 2022. /CFP
"These things happen. Nobody likes it, we don't condone it, but it happens," Myers said. "Draymond apologized to the team. Jordan was there in the room. ... As far as any suspension, punishment, fine, we will handle that internally."
"There was a specific tweet that was put out yesterday insinuating that [Poole's] attitude or something has changed, it's absolute BS," Warriors ace Stephen Curry said. "Andre (Iguodala) addressed it yesterday with his tweet, and we can kind of leave it at that. [Poole] has been great, there's nothing that warranted the situation yesterday, to make that clear. But it's also something that, I feel like, will not derail our season and what we're trying to do."
Curry was talking about a tweet by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, which read: "Draymond Green was apologetic in aftermath of the altercation with Jordan Poole, but there was a buildup stemming from teammates noticing a change in Poole's behavior throughout camp with the guard on the verge of securing a lucrative extension, league sources tell @YahooSports."
Jordan Poole (#3) of the Golden State Warriors drives toward the rim in the NBA Japan Game against the Washington Wizards at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, October 2, 2022. /CFP
Whether Haynes' tweet stands or not, it has a point: Things have been growing more sensitive inside the Warriors as Green, Poole and Andrew Wiggins all are eligible for, and all want, an extension.
Green has two years left of his current four-year, $99.7 million contract and he can opt out the last year of it in summer 2023 to become an unrestricted free agent. Poole is in the last year of his rookie deal. If the Warriors don't sign an extension with him before October 17, he will become a restricted free agent next summer. Wiggins is in the last year of his five-year, $147.7 million contract and he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2023 summer.
The Warriors already led the NBA in both total salaries and luxury tax in the 2021-22 season. The two numbers combined to surpass scary $346 million. Though they won the championship, the team cannot keep watching their payroll number to keep skyrocketing like this, which their owner Joe Lacob made it very clear on the "TK Show."
Andrew Wiggins (#22) of the Golden State Warriors shoots a free throw in the NBA Japan Game against the Washington Wizards at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, October 2, 2022. /CFP
"Your numbers are kind of messed up. I will just say that. You were throwing numbers out like 400 and 500," Lacob said. "Those numbers are not even remotely possible. It's just not. I'm already in trouble with the rest of the league. We are in trouble for being where we are. In fact, in Vegas, I'll be at – we're going to be at – the Board of Governors meeting Tuesday. Let me tell you, they're not happy. It's not just us. Other teams are going into the luxury tax now, as well. We kind of blew a hole in the system, and it's not a good look from the league's perspective. They don't want to see it happen. And there are limits. I'm not going to say what they are. But there are limits on what you can do."
Therefore, it's next to impossible for the Warriors to keep all of Green, Poole and Wiggins with the contracts they want. Like we mentioned earlier, the four-year, $130 million extension reached by Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat set a standard for Poole. Considering Poole's age (23), skills and growth, the Warriors have good reasons to keep him.
Draymond Green (#23) of the Golden State Warriors passes in the NBA Japan Game against the Washington Wizards at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, October 2, 2022. /CFP
Wiggins's case is trickier than Poole's. He is in the best period of his career (27), has been one of the most enduring players in the league, and has the rarest role in the Warriors: forward with size, athleticism, defense and catch-and-shoot ability. However, Wiggins also has very limited space to improve and the contract he wants can be easily excessive than he is worth.
Green is the biggest headache for the Warriors among the three. On one hand, he was with the team when they rose in 2015 and could still make key contributions during the playoffs like he did last season. Nonetheless, he was an offensive deadweight, ageing year by year and can be a locker room bomb from time to time. It's hard to tell which act of Green hurt the Warriors worse, punching Poole in practice or yelling "We don't need you. We won without you. Leave" to Kevin Durant in 2018?
The Warriors don't necessarily need to make decision over extensions with or trades of Poole, Green or Wiggins at the moment. They can wait to see how the three perform in the coming 2022-23 season while expect the rookies on their roster, namely James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Patrick Baldwin Jr., to grow fast and give the front office more options.