Draymond Green still considers Kevin Durant to be a close friend, despite their highly publicized confrontation last November and Durant’s decision to leave Golden State in free agency. In an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that aired today on “The Jump” (video link), Green talks about the success they had with the Warriors and says he learned that Durant was joining the Nets at the same time everyone else did.
“He don’t owe it to me to tell me before everybody else,” Green said. “We did what we had to do. The thing that people forget about in this league is this is our lives. I’m not about to go to Kevin Durant and say, ‘Hey Kevin, can I get my fiancé pregnant?’ But that’s my life. I’m sorry but that’s my life. Am I supposed to come to you and A) Let you know that that’s what I wanna do? Or B) Ask you for permission? No. So I found out when everybody else found out, which is exactly how it should be.”
Green also said he talked to Durant yesterday and still thinks of him as “my brother.” He’s grateful for what they accomplished as teammates, including two titles and a loss in this year’s Finals, calling it “a major success.”
There’s more Warriors news to pass along:
- Green also touched on the four-year, $99.7MM contract extension he signed last week. Although he might have earned more on the open market, he’s happy to be tied to the Warriors through the end of the 2023/24 season. He also considers it validation for the aggressive way he likes to play the game. “This contract tells you that all the garbage that you tried to say about me — arguing with Kevin or about the things with Steve Kerr or about the suspension (in the 2016 NBA Finals) — it just tells you that there was a method to that madness,” Green said.
- This summer’s roster upheaval has left Stephen Curry as the Warriors’ oldest player for the first time in his career, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. A few months ago, Curry was the fifth oldest, but the team parted with five players who were past their 30th birthday.
- With D’Angelo Russell joining the league’s most celebrated backcourt, Curry tells Slater that a three-guard approach can be successful once Klay Thompson returns from a torn ACL. “You get creative on how you mix up matchups, create good offense throughout the entire game,” Curry said. “Even defensively, I know there’s a lot of talk about that, our size, but the competitive fire will come out and find ways to get it done on that end of the floor.”
Suddenly Steph is a stand-up comedian.
Everyone has been ignoring the fact that Golden State’s defense is about to get a lot worse next season. They lost two of their best defenders in Durant and Iggy, plus they have to play at least 55 games without Klay Thompson. Neither Curry nor Russell is known for their defense, so basically Draymond will have to defend every team’s best player since no one else on the team is capable of doing so.
the one who laugh last laughs best. GSW are going to beat a lot of teams next year and when they do bowserhound we will all be laughing at you.
So are you predicting the GSW finish in the top 3 in the west?
No, Steph is a very solid person who plays NBA basketball for a living….. too much class and loyalty to demean him
Who’s going to start at small forward for them Glen Trashinson the third. He’s garbage. Who’s going to defend the at SG, Russell and Curry as decent at the 1 and both shot well enough for the 2 but both don’t play good enough d and are to small for the 2. Cauley-Stein will be a good signing. He’s a decent enough run protector and is a good run runner and is handy setting screens. Could see a lot of Green Cauley-Stein screens to get Green working against slow bigs and have Curry and Dlow waiting for a kick out. But I overall just can’t quite see it all falling into place. Think Russell will have to move to make it work. Russell for Wiggins plus a few picks, or Winslow plus an expiring deal and a pick, or Russell for Hardaway and picks could be a few ideas. Winslow plus Olynyk and one 1st and two 2nds could be interesting. Olynyks basically on an expiring but offers good rotation as a stretch 4/5. Winslow plays good D from the 3 but can also create for others, then picks to sweeten. Heat then have Russell and Butler
Internet gms. Bob Meyers is hanging up in both of those offers. Dlo is 23 and an Allstar and signed for next 4 years.