Jordan Poole had a night against his former team in Saturday night’s loss, hitting eight 3-pointers on his way to 38 points, with five rebounds and assists each.
After the game, Poole told Marc Spears of ESPN’s Andscape that he still loved “most” of the guys in that locker room, with the clear exception of Draymond Green, who punched Poole during training camp in 2022, a move that was a cloud over the team throughout the season and ended the positive vibes of a team that is coming off a championship.
Green saw that quote on X and apologized.
I don’t doubt Green is being sincere here, but I also can’t blame Poole if he decides not to accept it. Several times since the incident, Green admitted that he made a mistake and disappointed Poole and the organization.
Green has punished himself more than Golden State. The organization tried to downplay the incident at first, but once video of the altercation leaked, the Warriors’ priorities made their priorities clear: They fined Green but didn’t suspend him, then they ultimately traded Poole and kept Green around. Last season, Green received an indefinite suspension from the NBA after punching Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face, and as part of the suspension he had to attend therapy sessions. Reports say a more mature and “kinder” Green emerged from this.