NBA Rumors: ‘Yahoo Sports’ Reveals What Draymond Green Said To Kevin Durant To Warrant Suspension
With four days having passed since Draymond Green and Kevin Durant reportedly had an explosive argument after the Golden State Warriors lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Clippers, it appears that things have been sorted out for the meantime, as the team continues its quest for a third straight NBA championship. A new report, however, has shed more light on the aftermath of that argument, which saw the Warriors suspending Green for one game without pay.
In a report published Thursday on Yahoo Sports, Chris Haynes noted that the Warriors didn’t go into specifics when they suspended Green for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Reports that came shortly after the Warriors’ 121-116 loss to the Clippers claimed that Green repeatedly referred to Durant as a “b**ch” and continued to do so even as head coach Steve Kerr tried to intervene and have the team focus on the whiteboard in the locker room. However, Haynes added that Green allegedly uttered one comment that crossed the line and forced the Warriors to take action against him.
“Green blurted to Durant something along the lines of, ‘We don’t need you. We won without you. Leave,'” Haynes wrote, citing sources familiar with the situation.
“That stance couldn’t be any further from how the franchise views its odds of competing for titles in the future without Durant. The Warriors desperately want to re-sign the 7-foot small forward, and such a divisive incident in front of the entire team from one of their most influential players was deemed grounds for discipline.”
According to Haynes, Draymond Green’s comments toward Kevin Durant during their argument had reached a point where they had become personal and had even caused the 30-year-old former NBA MVP to “cringe.”
During their argument, Draymond "dared" KD to leave and said: "We don't need you. we won without you,” per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/F2VCtljUeB
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 16, 2018
As further noted on the Yahoo Sports report, Green allegedly daring Durant to leave via free agency in the 2019 offseason was interesting, as it was the 28-year-old defensive specialist who called “KD” after the Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals and invited the then-Oklahoma City Thunder superstar to join the team. With Durant signing with the Warriors soon after their Finals loss, the team has since gone on to win two consecutive championships in convincing fashion, beating the Cavaliers on both occasions.
Despite the intensity of the alleged feud between Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, things appeared to have calmed down between both men as the Warriors prepared to face the Houston Rockets on Thursday. Citing a tweet from Haynes, USA Today’sFor The Win wrote that the two star forwards were working on “communicating positively” as they prepared to enter the Toyota Center in Houston for a pregame shoot-around. The publication added that Durant and Green’s lockers were purposely positioned next to each other in an effort to “force” the two to clear the air ahead of the game.
The Warriors, who played without point guard Stephen Curry for a fourth straight game, were routed by the Rockets, 107-86, but remain on top of the Western Conference with a 12-4 win-loss record.
