Warriors stand by Green, say he’ll get help during his indefinite suspension

Los Angeles — The Golden State Warriors believe Draymond Green needs help to curb his long history of rough play, and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. is hopeful an indefinite suspension provides enough time for their star forward to make real progress.

Dunleavy said Thursday that the team is satisfied with the NBA’s latest punishment for Green, the fourtime NBA champion who was indefinitely banned Wednesday after hitting Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face. The suspension was the sixth of Green’s career and his fourth in 2023.

“I think this is something that a lot of people may see as a problem, but we’re looking to turn it into a positive,” Dunleavy said on the UCLA campus during the Warriors’ morning shootaround before their game against the Clippers.

“(Green is at) a point in his career and his life where we want to get some things straightened out, and maybe sometimes you need a jolt like that. But I think it’s been very positive, very open, and (we’re) extremely optimistic that we can get to where we need to go.”

Dunleavy repeatedly said the Warriors will “help” Green during his absence, but didn’t specify the nature of that aid. Green will be around the Warriors extensively during his suspension, although he can’t be with the team on game nights.

“The thought process is there’s a lot of ways you can go about this, but for now, we think the healthiest thing is for him to be around,” Dunleavy said. “It may not be every single day, but we’re not jettisoning the guy off somewhere.”

Dunleavy also unambiguously confirmed the Warriors are committed to the 33-year-old Green, who is in the first season of a fouryear, $100 million contract extension. Although Dunleavy pointedly said Golden State’s starting lineup hasn’t played well enough during the team’s 10-13 start, he praised the play of Stephen Curry and Green.

“He’s been here for a long time,” Dunleavy said of Green. “He’s hung a ton of banners and means so much to this organization. I think this is about turning this thing into a positive and getting better.”

Missing games will also come at a sizable financial cost to Green. The first five-game suspension this season forced him to forfeit $769,704, and this suspension will cost him roughly $150,000 per game if it is less than 20 games, going up to about $200,000 per game after that.

The Warriors also figure to save at least $500,000 per game on their luxury tax bill for each game he misses.