Draymond Green reportedly struck Jordan Poole at practice

Oct 6, 2022 - 3:31 PM

The Golden State Warriors may be defending NBA champions, but that doesn’t mean everything is red wine and roses in San Francisco. With the season still nearly two weeks away, drama has already struck the Dubs.

According to a report from The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II, Anthony Slater, and Shams Charania, an altercation broke out at practice on Wednesday between veteran All-Star Draymond Green and rising star Jordan Poole. Worse yet, the altercation reportedly grew physical on Green’s end.

Here’s part of what Thompson, Slater, and Charania had to report:

When a heated interaction with guard Jordan Poole escalated, Green forcefully struck Poole and needed to be separated swiftly, sources said. Green and Poole came chest-to-chest, with both players pushing and shoving each other prior to Green’s escalation of the physical altercation.

The report notes that the two players frequently get into arguments, which probably isn’t too surprising given Green’s demeanor. But this is clearly at a new level, and the Warriors are reportedly considering disciplinary action towards Green.

That wouldn’t be the first time that an altercation with a teammate led to discipline for Green, as we all remember what happened with Kevin Durant. But this is certainly the first time that Green has struck a teammate, or at least the first time that it’s made its way to the public. And I’m guessing even the the strongest supporters of Green can agree that it crosses a line by a significant margin.

Only time will tell if there’s any long-term fallout from the altercation. Poole is eligible for a rookie extension that has to be signed before the season starts, or else he’ll enter next year as a restricted free agent. And Green has a player option for 2023-24, meaning he can become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Drama! And not the good kind.

Update: Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Green was apologetic after the incident, and that other players have taken issue with Poole during camp.