| Advertisement |
Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The Golden State Warriors decided fine Draymond Green rather than suspending the forward for his punch of teammate Jordan Poole at a recent practice, coach Steve Kerr announced. Kerr spoke about the incident after the Warriors' 131-98 preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in San Francisco. Green punched Poole during a scuffle Oct. 5 at the practice facility in San Francisco.
Advertisement
Green told reporters last week that he would step away from the team for a "few days." He also said he apologized to Poole, Poole's family and his Warriors teammates. Poole has yet to publicly address the incident.
"He is going to come back to practice Thursday," Kerr told reporters Tuesday, referring to Green. "He has been fined. He will not be suspended.
"I expect him to play Friday in our last preseason game and on opening night. We have spent the last week in deep discussions with all of our key figures in the organization, including Jordan, Draymond, Stephen Curry, all of our players, [general manager] Bob Meyers and myself."
Kerr said deciding how to handle the incident was "exhausting."
"This is the biggest crisis we've ever had since I've been coach here," Kerr said. "It's really serious stuff."
Green, 32, joined the Warriors as a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The four-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion, seven-time All-Defensive Team selection and 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year averaged 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game last season.
Green is set to make a $25.8 million salary this season. The 10-year veteran can opt into a $27.5 million player option in 2023-24.
Poole, 23, joined the Warriors as the No. 28 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The three-year veteran averaged a career-high 18.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game last season.
He is set to play on a $3.9 million option in 2022-23, but the Warriors and Poole are negotiating a contract.
The Warriors will host the Denver Nuggets in their preseason finale at 10 p.m. EDT Friday at Chase Center. They will host the Los Angeles Lakers in their season opener at 10 p.m. Tuesday in San Francisco.
