Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins — who spent time during his playing career with the Cleveland Cavaliers — believes that the Golden State Warriors need to move on from defensive ace Draymond Green.
.@KendrickPerkins believes it's time for the Warriors to part ways with Draymond Green. pic.twitter.com/C2opip1hVj
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 29, 2024
“It’s time for the Warriors to part ways with Draymond Green,” Perkins said. “Mike Dunleavy [Jr.], Joe Lacob, Steve Kerr, Steph Curry (Stephen Curry) — they’re gonna have to have that tough conversation in that — in the offseason. Because once a person show you who they are, you have to believe ’em. And like we say about a lot of old people, they’re stuck in their ways. Well, Draymond Green is a veteran, and he’s stuck in his ways.”
Green has made headlines this season for his antics on the court. Back in December, he hit Phoenix Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic in the face and was subsequently handed a suspension for his actions.
Fast forward to more recently, and Green was ejected early on in the Warriors’ win over the Orlando Magic on March 27 after jawing at a referee.
Draymond ejected after his 2nd tech less than 4 min into 1Q 😳 pic.twitter.com/hahXQf2TjR
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 27, 2024
The Warriors have played 72 games so far in the 2023-24 regular season, yet Green has participated in only 47 of those contests. He is averaging 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from 3-point range, the second-highest 3-point percentage of his pro career.
When Green is on the floor for Golden State, he is still one of the better passers at his position in the league. He averages the second-most assists per game on the team, ahead of Curry and behind only Chris Paul, who is one of the best playmakers in NBA history.
Golden State is in jeopardy of missing out on the play-in tournament this season. While the Warriors sit as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference as of now with a 38-34 record, they are ahead of the Houston Rockets by just one game in the standings.
The Rockets are the hottest team in basketball right now, as Houston’s 10-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in the league by a considerable margin. For comparison, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are in a tie for the second-longest winning streak currently at five games.
Seemingly every game matters for the Warriors’ playoff hopes between now and the end of the regular season. Their next game is a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
