The Golden State Warriors have been the epitome of inconsistency this year. The Warriors moved back to .500 with a win over the Orlando Magic last night. But the win wasn’t without drama as Draymond Green left the bench following a spat with Steve Kerr.
More Warriors Drama, Could Draymond Green’s Latest “Blow-Up” Be The Last Straw
Golden State once again got off to a slow start last night. The Warriors scored the first basket of the game, but the Magic controlled most of the first quarter, leading by as many as seven points before taking a 30-26 lead at the first intermission. The second quarter was more of a back-and-forth affair with nine lead changes and eight ties.
Leading 58-57 at halftime, the Warriors scored six of the first 10 points of the third quarter to increase their lead to 64-61 on a Green driving layup. But the Warriors went cold, and the Magic went on a 10-2 run, taking a 71-66 lead when Kerr called a timeout at the 8:20 mark. That is when the fireworks started.
Green and Kerr’s Spat
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, “Green had just committed a turnover and had been engaging with an official when Kerr called a timeout and tried to herd his team to the huddle, saying he felt they were unfocused. That’s when the argument occurred.”
Slater added that Moses Moody and assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse tried to calm Green. Following some final words with Kerr, Green headed back to the locker room. Green did return to the bench in the fourth quarter, but never went back into the game.
“We had it out a little bit,” Kerr said after the game. “He made his decision to go back to the locker room to cool off. That’s all I’m going to say about it. Everything is private.”
On the positive side, Golden State responded positively. The Warriors outscored the Magic 55-26 the rest of the way en route to a 120-97 victory. Stephen Curry led the way with 26 points on 10 of 23 shooting, including 4 of 13 from the 3-point line, while Jimmy Butler added 21 and Moody contributed 20. Buddy Hield only saw three minutes of action, and Jonathan Kuminga didn’t play after being questionable (illness) early in the day.
“Tempers spilled over, and I thought it was best that I get out of there,” Green said when asked why he went back to the locker room.
Warriors Struggles
Golden State entered the season with tempered expectations after adding several “old-head veterans” following a season in which the Warriors won 48 games and reached the Western Conference semis. The Warriors have won between 44 and 48 games while failing to get past the conference semis in each of the last three seasons.
Still, it is a major surprise how the 2025-26 season has gone for the Warriors thus far. Golden State began the season with four victories in its first five games, including significant wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver. However, the Warriors then lost five of their next eight games before winning three straight.
Despite losing nine of their last 16, Golden State will enter its Christmas Day matchup with Dallas at 15-15 on the season. The Warriors have had their share of drama this season, starting with Kuminga’s restricted free agency that lasted all summer. The Warriors and Kuminga failing to reach a quick resolution kept them from filling their roster until training camp opened.
Kuminga has been in and out of the Warriors’ rotation. Kuminga has struggled with shooting efficiency, defense, and turnovers. However, he has rebounded the ball well.
Where The Warriors Are Struggling Specifically
The struggles haven’t been limited to Kuminga. Al Horford has played just 13 games and looks like a 40-year-old, and De’Anthony Melton made his season debut seven games ago. Horford, Melton, and Hield are also struggling. Meanwhile, Curry has sat out nine games.
Given the whole picture, it is no surprise that the Warriors have struggled. Since Kerr took over as head coach, the Warriors have been only as good as their offense. The Dubs rank in the bottom third of the league in scoring (114.2) and 19th in offensive rating. They also rank 25th in field goal percentage and 11th in 3-point percentage despite making and attempting the most threes per game. Additionally, they don’t get to the free-throw line much and turn the ball over a ton.
Golden State has a +1.9 scoring margin, which is just the sixth-best in the Western Conference and 11th overall. However, the Warriors are also just 6-11 on the road with a -2.8 scoring margin.
On the positive side, Curry is on pace to have the most productive season, scoring- and shooting-wise, in the past three seasons. The Warriors have been outstanding on defense. Also, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have taken a step offensively, while Will Richard has been a pleasant surprise.
Draymond Green
Back to Green, is it time for the Warriors to move on from the 14-year pro? Green is known for his antics as much as his on-court production and defense. Let’s face it, the antics are long past getting old. More significantly, Green has struggled in the early going.
Green has missed six games this year and has picked up six technicals. The game against the Magic marked the second straight game that Green did not finish. He picked up two quick technicals on Saturday in the Warriors’ win over Phoenix and was ejected after just nine minutes of action.
Green has struggled on the court. The 35-year-old averages 8.1 points, on 40.9% shooting from the field and 32.7% from deep, to go along with just 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.1 turnovers in 28 minutes. Green has still been fantastic defensively, though he has yet to record a double-double and owns just a +1.7 plus-minus. He also has fouled out twice.
“We need Draymond,” Kerr said about the situation. “He’s a champion. We’ve been together for a long time. “It’s unfortunate what happened, but it happened.”
Should The Warriors Trade Green?
But again, should the Warriors trade Green? The Warriors need to add size and some interior scoring. According to NBA Insider Chris Haynes, in a recent appearance on Amazon Prime, the Warriors are in the market for an athletic center.
“They are looking for size and athleticism,” Haynes said. “You look at the Warriors – rebounding and blocked shots, they’re in the bottom half of the league. And points in the paint, they are dead last. So they are looking for an athletic center.”
Haynes named Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton, and Robert Williams as potential targets. Obviously, Green won’t be traded for any of those three unless it is a huge deal. But definitely something they should consider.
In fact, it has been mentioned that the only way the Warriors would trade Green is in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo or Anthony Davis.
What People Are Saying Around The League about Warriors Trading Green
“Trading Green is not something the Warriors plan on doing, and the only way this mindset would change is if all three of Green, Curry, and Kerr signed off on such a move, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel said when talking about potential landing spots for Antetokounmpo. Draymond is the heart and soul of this Warriors organization, which is why Butler would be the one who would need to be moved in any scenario for Antetokounmpo.
Perhaps the bigger question is, does anyone want Green?
“Draymond fits with the Warriors,” one Eastern Conference GM told Heavy.com Sean Deveney. “Even at his best, it was not like he was a player you could drop onto any team and he would thrive. He has a specific skill set that works with Steph (Curry) and with Steve (Kerr)’s offense. A lot of coaches would look at what he does and say, ‘I don’t want this guy.’
“He is 35 years old. He shoots 40%, he shoots like 30% from 3. I would not want him around my young players. How many of their young guys have succeeded? So you can ask, like, would they trade him? But it’s also, would anyone want him?”
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