Draymond Green and Kevin Durant had themselves a nice spat Monday night over some bad decision-making by Green in the final seconds of regulation, a game that the Warriors lost to the Clippers in overtime. Earlier today, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears and Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the conflict continued into the locker room after the game:
After the 121-116 overtime loss to the LA Clippers, some witnesses described the closed-door exchange as one of the most intense of this Warriors era. No one had to be separated, no player left his seat and no hint of physicality loomed in the setting, sources said.
Durant’s impending free agency heightens the sensitivity of the turmoil.
The organization is taking seriously the fallout of Monday night’s confrontation, spending Tuesday working through the issues that may have been created — or even advanced — within the team’s dynamic, league sources said.
The Warriors are, obviously, a dynasty, and about as stable a team as exists in the NBA. Even when they do vaguely allude to internal issues, it has the flavor of an elaborate ironic in-joke. But this time the conflict actually happened out in public, and by god, if an issue “may been created—or even advanced—within the team’s dynamic,” you just have to drop everything and listen.
Here’s The Athletic’s Shams Charania, who delivered this juicy but cryptically structured tweet about what Green supposedly said to Durant:
It’s a gorgeous mental picture: Draymond Green growing tired of all his teammates complaining about how he dribbled directly into three Clippers and lost the ball, then deciding to take a cheap shot at Kevin Durant, who typically handles attacks on his reputation very well. The Warriors will reportedly bench Green tonight, although it’s a game against the lowly Hawks, so maybe that’s not much of a punishment:
Update (6:20 p.m.): Not just a benching, but a suspension!
Update (6:27 p.m.): And here’s what Green said, from Haynes:
Green repeatedly called Durant “a bitch” after he was called out by the two-time NBA Finals MVP in the huddle for not passing him the ball, sources said. The organization is of the belief that Green cut too deep in his disagreement with Durant, sources said.