Draymond Green will face another NBA suspension, but it will likely be longer than the last. But it’s not because he’s hurting the Warriors. Granted, it wasn’t because he banged Jusuf Nurkic, but he did.
Because, well, it’s money.
And optics.
Draymond’s most recent emotional moment came during Tuesday night’s 119-116 loss to the Suns in Phoenix. This is also something that will ruin the NBA business. It’s the next pot of gold. Players who risk current or future earnings will be gone for a long time. Just ask Ja Morant.
With media contracts set to end at the end of next season, the NBA is actively negotiating for a television contract that begins in 2025. The league is reportedly asking for royalties in the range of $10 billion per season. Violence in the courtroom is not a selling point.
The league is great at marketing its star players. Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Donic all make a lot of money in the NBA. The main reason for this is that good skills and likability match. Image is important.
And ultimately, it not only benefits the league, but also the players whose salaries are directly tied to their bottom line.
The sight of Green’s right forearm slamming into Nurkic’s face goes against everything the league wants to sell. The same can be said about Draymond putting his arm around Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert’s neck last month.
“I’m not one to apologize for what I tried to do,” Green told reporters in Phoenix. “But I apologize to Yusuf. I didn’t mean to hit him but he sold the call with his arm. I’m not trying to sell the phone. I’m not a flopper. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me. , I just sold the phone. So I spun out and ran away. And unfortunately, I ended up hitting him.
“So, I apologize to Yusuf. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
In this case, an apology is not very important. Intent or not is even less important. Optics are important to the NBA. This was yet another incident involving Draymond, and it conveyed a horrified stare from the always reputation-conscious league.
The whole play certainly repulsed the millions of people who caught a glimpse of it, namely the powers that be in the league’s New York office. Especially Joe Dumars. He is the NBA’s vice president of basketball operations. Basically, he’s the sheriff.
And he must be disgusted about this. Dumars and Green’s relationship goes back more than 20 years, when Draymond was a Pistons fan living in Michigan and Dumars was a standout two-way guard in Detroit. In a way, they are like uncle and nephew.
It’s been less than four weeks since Dumars had a long conversation with Draymond about the chokehold he put on Rudy Gobert. According to league sources, Dumars has made it clear that he is concerned about the optics in relation to the league’s desire to obtain a new television contract.
After several discussions with NBA officials, Dumars ultimately suspended Green for five games. This wasn’t because he wanted it to be, but because it was natural.
Now, weeks later, Draymond is back in an NBA squad car awaiting his fate. The Warriors are back in roster limbo, unsure of when he will return, but aware they won’t reach their potential without him.
No matter how well the supporting cast performs and how great they were against the Suns, Golden State’s storied and brilliant core players of Klay Thompson, Curry and Green will show just how high this team can fly. It will affect you.
“Every piece is there for a reason,” Curry said. “They’ve been doing it for a very long time, so it’s tough to miss one of them.
“We still had a chance to win tonight’s game. . . . We want to get over this incident, his sending off, but we weren’t able to do that. But we need everyone to be able to participate. Yes. That’s how we are built. It’s no secret.”
The Warriors played 23 games. Draymond missed one game for personal reasons, two games due to injury and was suspended for five games. He was sent off in three of the 15 games he played.
Green, who has a history of being a repeat offender, will likely miss a few more games due to his recent improvements. The league thought it issued a statement last month. He’s trying to not only enrich the players’ pockets, but also his own.
But that wasn’t enough. So here comes another one. The NBA is committed to doing everything it can to keep optics from getting in the way of funding.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk podcast