Warriors ‘committed’ to Draymond Green, but will make changes if team doesn’t improve, GM Mike Dunleavy says

The Golden State Warriors are “committed” to suspended forward Draymond Green, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the roster. General manager Mike Dunleavy is planning to use the next month to evaluate the team without Green and determine if he needs to make changes, he told reporters on Thursday. 

Green was suspended indefinitely for hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during their matchup on Tuesday night, and will not be eligible to return until he meets “certain league and team conditions.” Dunleavy did not offer specifics on Green’s requirements but said the team will stand by him. 

“We’re committed to him,” Dunleavy said. “He’s been here for a long time. He’s hung a ton of banners and meant so much to this organization. … I think this is about turning this thing into a positive and getting better. So, I think if that happens, we feel really good. His play has been terrific. It’s just been his lack of availability that has not been great. We want to make that better.

“I can just say we will continue to do the right things to help him. I think we’ve done a decent job at that in the past, and we’ll continue to work through it all. There are a lot of parties involved. The biggest thing here to me is not the punishment, it’s helping and giving assistance.”

Green will be allowed to be around the team during his suspension, but he cannot attend games. 

As the team waits for Green’s return, Dunleavy will use the interim period to determine a path forward. The Warriors have lost three of their last four games to fall to 10-13 on the season, and entering Thursday’s slate of games were in 11th place in the Western Conference. That leaves them outside of even the Play-In Tournament positions. 

“I think the bigger impact will be how we do the next 15, 20 games,” Dunleavy said. “That’ll probably determine where we go. … I don’t think I need any more evaluation of Draymond as a player. We need a little more evaluation of this team: the chemistry, the lineups and all that.

“I think we’re right there, but at some point, our record is going to have to change. We’re going to have to creep past .500 and start winning some games. And if not, we’ll have to re-evaluate.” 

Dunleavy is in his first season as the Warriors’ GM and may have to make some tough decisions in the coming months and years. 

The most interesting question is about Klay Thompson‘s future. He has struggled mightily this season and the two sides are reportedly “not close” on an extension ahead of his unrestricted free agency this summer. Trading Thompson after a decade with the franchise would be the biggest shake-up Dunleavy could make.

Moving Thompson remains unlikely, but it doesn’t appear that anyone on the roster outside of Green and Steph Curry should feel super secure about their spot on the roster.