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Draymond Green and Jordan Poole's infamous bust-up at Golden State Warriors practice melee became a talking point once again during the NBA offseason this summer.
After spending an entire season on the same team since the incident, Warriors' GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. pulled the trigger and traded Poole to the Washington Wizards.
The timing was questioned by many, leading to questions whether Poole and Green's altercation affected the team during the 2022-23 NBA season.
As the new GM replacing Bob Myers, Mike Dunleavy Jr. addressed the rumors and events that led to trading Poole. He told The Athletic:
"I think the biggest thing really is just financially we’re in a position where we had to make some decisions"
"Another contract probably needed to be moved. And Jordan ended up being that one. But we feel like getting a player back of Chris Paul’s caliber can negate that in some ways or pick up that slack.”
He added:
"I think we were able to make a decision where we could free some of that while also still being highly competitive and having a chance to win a championship. It just ended up having to be a decision we had to make and so be it."
The Warriors were in a tough spot of retaining the championship core that they had since last decade or integrating the young talent and letting them marinate until they could take over the team.
Retaining Draymond Green was Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s off-season priority
Draymond Green has been the team's heart and soul for the past years. His statistical contributions may not be as eye-catching as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but his presence on the court has been his greatest asset.
For Dunleavy, retaining Draymond Green has been the organization's priority and fitting his salary along with other players has been the challenge.
“We needed to get Draymond back, what he brings to this team and what he has meant for the last 10 years. That’s going to keep going. That matters. So we prioritized that," said Dunleavy.
The Golden State Warriors were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Western Conference Semi-Finals in the 2022-23 season.
Along with Draymond Green, the team secured Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry locked for at least three more years together until the 2025-26 season.
