The Golden State Warriors franchise was forced to deal with a huge incident last year. For those who don’t know, 4x NBA champ and GSW legend Draymond Green sucker-punched a young Jordan Poole during practice. This was during the 2022-23 NBA season when the Denver Nuggets snatched the title from the Miami Heat.
Draymond’s punch on Jordan Poole pic.twitter.com/lsvlCUwZcC
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) October 7, 2022
The Warriors franchise was struggling on the road and even lost Stephen Curry to injury for a few games as well. If this wasn’t enough, Green and Poole’s altercation did not do their chances any favors. It is obvious that once a physical altercation occurs behind the scenes, the morale of the entire team would be affected too.
The GSW front office mentioned that Dray was fined for an undisclosed amount, but he did not suffer any suspension for the punch. DG did publicly apologize for punching his teammate, and he apologized to Poole’s family as well. However, questions were raised at the time, whether the pair will truly be able to repair their relationship.
Draymond Green subtly reveals the details behind Jordan Poole altercation
The Warriors traded Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards recently. They received Chris Paul in the trade, as well as draft assets. Although Paul is a good addition to the team, in terms of playmaking, and just simply being an efficient point guard. However, it must be mentioned that age is not on CP3’s side, and many were questioning GSW’s move to let go of a young star in Poole.
Breaking: The Wizards and Warriors have agreed on a deal to send Chris Paul to Golden State for a package that includes Jordan Poole and future draft assets, sources told @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/byR4lXTDFi
— ESPN (@espn) June 22, 2023
After the trade, Poole was asked about whether he had any contact with the teammate who punched him. The Wizards newbie bluntly ignored the question and turned his head away, and moved on to the next question from the media. This could speak at length about the current state of their relationship, which might have never been fixed since the incident in October 2022.
“I don’t just hit people. Dialogue happens over time and you usually ain’t triggered by something that fast… We know stuff you don’t say amongst men. We know things that you have to stand on.”
– Draymond
(Via @PatBevPod / h/t @ClutchPointsApp )
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 19, 2023
Green also addressed the situation recently on Pat Bev podcast, and revealed some details he has never before. He said, “I don’t just hit people. Dialogue of course happens over time, and you usually ain’t just triggered by something that fast, to that degree. This is a team, ain’t nobody on my team triggering me in an instant. We know stuff that you don’t say amongst men. We know things that you have to stand on.”
It must be noted that Dray says tension had been brewing between the two for quite some time. In the video, Poole could be seen conversing with DG, before the latter made it physical. This could certainly suggest that the pair had been going against each other for some time, before Green finally got impatient.
Jordan Poole will now be focusing on his career with the Wizards. Although he is a lot further from the NBA title with the Wizards than he was with the Warriors, he may be able to strive under a team that is built around him and former Lakers star Kyle Kuzma.