Draymond Green and Jordan Poole are no longer teammates on the Golden State Warriors as the latter was traded to the Washington Wizards over the offseason, but the infamous punch that Green landed on Poole during training camp last year remains a hot topic. During a recent appearance on the Pat Bev Podcast, Green discussed the punch and what led up to it.
"I don't just hit people," Green said. "Dialogue of course happens over time and you usually ain't just triggered by something that fast, to that degree. This is a team, you know what I'm saying? Ain't nobody on my team triggering me in an instant. We know stuff you don't say amongst men. We know things that you have to stand on."
You can see Green's comments below:
Green and Poole were able to temporarily set aside their issues and compete together as teammates in Golden State last season, but there were clearly still some hard feelings between the two, and ultimately the Warriors made the decision to move Poole in a trade that landed them Chris Paul last month.
After the Warriors were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals in May, coach Steve Kerr admitted that Green's punch of Poole had a negative impact in the locker room that lingered throughout the season.
"Anytime some trust is lost, then it makes the process much more difficult, and there was some trust lost," Kerr said. "That's as blunt as I can be. We have to get back to what has made us really successful, which is a really trusting environment and a group that relies on one another and makes each other better."
Given the bad blood that remains between the two former teammates, the first game between Green's Warriors and Poole's Wizards will definitely be one to keep an eye on next season.