Draymond Green Considered Drastic Move After Latest Suspension

The Golden State Warriors are finally about to get Draymond Green back in the lineup, as he was reinstated over the weekend from his 'indefinite' suspension for slugging the Phoenix Suns' Jusuf Nurkic. It turned out to be a 12-game ban, but according to Green, his absence from the NBA was nearly permanent:

Draymond Green says he considered retiring but Adam Silver talked him out of it, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/2l7AvEdffL

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 8, 2024

On Draymond's own podcast, which is about to drop, he said:

I told [Commissioner Adam Silver], 'It's all becoming too much for me -- and I'm going to retire.' And Adam said, 'You're making a very rash decision and I won't let you do that.' We had a long, great conversation — very helpful to me. Very thankful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who’s more about helping you than hurting you; helping you than punishing you. He’s more about the players.”

Green backed out of his thoughts of retiring, and after a month of counseling, the NBA reinstated him on Saturday and he returned to practice on Sunday. He's expected back in the Warriors lineup within the week. 

It was Green's second major suspension of the season for on-court outbursts, the first being a 5-game suspension for putting a nine-second choke hold on the Minnesota Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert. 

Green's playmaking, leadership and defensive intensity have been badly missed by the Dubs, especially in the wake of the fact that the team is also now without Chris Paul for the next four-to-six weeks after another hand surgery.

Draymond is averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, shooting 49% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range. He signed a 4-year, $100 million deal this past offseason. 

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports