Draymond Green set to return to Warriors’ facility, sources say،
Golden State forward Draymond Green – suspended indefinitely since Dec. 13 – is expected to return to the Warriors' facility in the coming days to begin preparing to return to play, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Green missed his 11th game when the Warriors took on the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, but his plan to rejoin the team to begin getting back into shape is the final step toward resuming his season.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has final say on the reinstatement timeline, but Green is believed to have met the league's requirements to return once he is deemed properly ready to play, sources said.
Although he has been away from the Warriors since hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic during a Dec. 12 game, Green has participated in one-on-one counseling sessions and periodic virtual meetings involving officials from team, league and union, designed to track his progress toward reinstatement, sources said. ESPN. The Zoom meetings play a role in how the NBA, National Basketball Players Association and the Warriors were supposed to measure Green's progress in resolving issues that may have contributed to repeated bouts of violence with opponents and a former teammate , sources said.
Green – a four-time champion and two-time All-NBA player – was described as open and engaged following the league-imposed suspension.
Green's agent, Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports; Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.; team coach Rick Celebrini; and NBPA and NBA officials are part of these ongoing sessions, sources said.
The meetings are part of what the NBA described as “certain league and team conditions” that Green must meet before his suspension is lifted. The NBA, the NBPA, the Warriors and Green played a role in arranging this unique, indefinite suspension, but the NBA has the final say on Green's eventual return. The league proposed the idea after back-to-back violent clashes with Minnesota's Rudy Gobert in November and Nurkic in mid-December.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, speaking before Thursday's game, did not confirm Green's planned return to the facility but said his absence during his suspension was not an issue.
“It wasn’t a sprained ankle, it wasn’t a twisted knee,” Kerr said. “It's a problem that Draymond is trying to get help with. So the space was important for him and for us. We're trying to win games and he's trying to put himself in position to come back.
The Warriors are 6-5 during Green's suspension as they continue to struggle to find consistency in their game. Kerr has changed his starting lineup twice during Green's absence – the most recent aimed at improving the defense of the starting group.
Jonathan Kuminga started in place of Green. Kerr told ESPN's Kendra Andrews that “there is a world where [Kuminga] can start for the rest of the year,” provided the third-year forward continues to play well and the team wins.
In the first season of a four-year contract worth $100 million, Green loses $153,941 for each game suspended.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
