May 19, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) warms up before the NBA play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Draymond Green is never afraid to say what he thinks, so his comments about the Warriors’ plan for the coming season aren’t too surprising.
Media day around the NBA took place on Monday. A notable absence from Golden State Warriors media day was Draymond Green, who had an excused absence for personal reasons. On Thursday, Green held court at the podium for a 30-minute session.
The status of teammate Andrew Wiggins as a non-vaccinated player was an easy topic to ask Green about in terms of if he’d try to influence Wiggins. His response, while candid as conveyed by ESPN’s Nick Friedell, was not totally expected.
“That would be like Andrew — who everyone knows recently just had a kid maybe 5 months or so ago now — that would be like me telling him, ‘Yo, your wife is going into labor. How dare you leave this team and not go tend to your wife?’” Green said. “That’s something that’s personal to him. That’s something that’s health-related. That’s something that’s personal to his family. This is no different. We’re dealing with something that to me feels like has turned into a political war when you’re talking about vaccinated [people] and non-vaccinated [people]. I think it’s become very political.”
Moving past the vaccine topic, Green addressed the Warriors’ plan for the coming season. The return of Klay Thompson has pointed to a return to title contention, while the development of second-year man James Wiseman and two incoming lottery picks (Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody) runs parallel with questions about how they’ll fit.
Did Draymond Green take a shot at the Warriors’ front office?
Trying to win-now and develop-now is an attempt to serve two masters, and it can be a slippery slope toward the dreaded middle ground. The Warriors have been easy to mention in notable trade rumors, be it for Ben Simmons or another veteran player, with the aforementioned young assets as the possible centerpiece of an offer.
But alas, the path the Warriors’ front office has chosen (at least for now) is to win and develop. Green pretty clearly doesn’t love it, but he decided keep any broader thoughts to himself.