Editor's note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
Draymond Green's time with the Warriors is up. He was the heart and soul of this team, anchoring Golden State's defense for years, but times have changed. His antics on and off the court have squandered the Warriors' chances again and again. He has simply crossed the line.
Don't get me wrong, Green deserves immense love and credit for everything he has done for the Warriors during their dominant dynasty over the past decade. He was the engine that kept the team going, part of the Big Three along with Steph and Klay.
However, he has hurt the Warriors' chances to win on numerous occasions. Let's start with the 2016 NBA Finals. After a record-setting 73-9 season and overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference finals, the Warriors seemed destined to complete the perfect season when they were up 3-1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, one win away from winning the NBA title. All that went out the window when the NBA suspended Green for a game after he hit the groin area of LeBron James during a scuffle at the end of Game 4.
Without Green in Game 5, the Warriors lost their momentum and dropped three straight games afterward. Green even admitted that his actions cost the Warriors a championship in 2016.
Luckily, the Warriors signed superstar Kevin Durant in the offseason and went on to win two more championships. During this time, the Warriors were blowing out the competition in the regular season and playoffs, winning by double-digit points practically every game and not even needing to play the starters in the fourth quarter.
After injuries cost the Warriors the NBA title in 2019, KD decided that he had enough of the team and left. Those who followed the Warriors throughout the season knew Green was one of the primary reasons. He shouted profanities in Durant's face in a game earlier that season, and his attitude and personality made KD feel uncomfortable. Durant already had felt that he didn't fit into the team since Steph Curry was the leader, but Green only made those feelings worse.
Once again, Green managed to stop another superteam that he was a part of. However, the integral part that Green played in the Warriors' dynasty and his relationship with the other players gave him some leeway. But in the past two years, Green's shenanigans only got worse.
His vicious attack on teammate Jordan Poole in practice before last season was uncalled for. The whole world got to see it through a leaked video, and that punch sank the Warriors' season. The Warriors acted as if it didn't change much, but like Green's fight with Durant, this feud wasn't reconcilable. Head Coach Steve Kerr even admitted after the season that Green's punch had an impact on the team.
It's enough to make you wonder if Green's mindset is not focused on playing basketball but on his post-playing future. During the 2022 NBA Finals, he produced podcast episodes after every game as if playing for an NBA championship wasn't an opportunity that millions of basketball players wished to have. Last year, Green signed a multiyear deal with TNT to be a TV analyst before his playing career was even over. While LeBron James is known for silencing his social media activity during the playoffs, Green does the opposite.
Supporters of Green say that he is still a great player and helped the Warriors win the championship in 2022, but he is 33 years old and declining. His production has decreased from 14 points per game to 7 to 8 points per game these past three years. As he ages, he will only regress more.
Draymond Green's constant temper tantrums on the court, including in the biggest moments, and "triple single" statistics don't justify all the trouble he brings to the team. With Green recently declining his player option for next season and becoming a free agent, this is the perfect time for the Warriors to not re-sign him and send a message that enough is enough.
Draymond Green has got to go.
Andrew Dong is a student at Aragon High School in San Mateo.
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