9:38pm: Poole wasn’t injured by Green’s punch and was able to finish his workout prior to leaving the floor, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
According to Vincent Goodwill and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Green was apologetic after the incident. Apparently tensions had been simmering because teammates have noticed “a change in Poole’s behavior” during training camp with his extension looming, Haynes tweets. However, teammates didn’t think the escalation by Green was warranted, per Goodwill.
8:23pm: The Warriors are “seriously considering disciplinary action” toward Draymond Green after he “forcefully struck” Jordan Poole during a physical altercation at Wednesday’s practice, sources tell Shams Charania, Anthony Slater, and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
According to The Athletic, the two players were “chest-to-chest” and “pushing and shoving each other” before Green escalated the incident by striking Poole. They were quickly separated after the altercation, sources told The Athletic.
Apparently Green and Poole have a history of disagreements, with The Athletic’s trio writing that the two players are “known to regularly get into verbal arguments,” but obviously this was different, and Golden State’s management believes Green went too far — internal discipline appears “imminent.” The team reportedly stopped practice to ease tensions after nerves were frayed, per The Athletic.
Both Green and Poole are key players for the defending champions, and both are facing important seasons for their individual careers. Poole is eligible for a rookie scale extension after a breakout third season, while Green could also become extension-eligible if he declines his $27,586,225 player option for 2023/24.
Green, a four-time All-Star who has spent his entire 11-year career with the Warriors, is well-known for his boisterous and sometimes line-crossing antics on the court. The ’16/17 Defensive Player of the Year is consistently one of the league leaders in technical fouls and was famously suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.