‘There’s no hiding from it ― the incident with Draymond (Green) and Jordan (Poole) at the beginning of the year played a role,’ Kerr said in his exit interview on Tuesday, following the Warriors’ season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. ‘It’s hard for that not to impact a team.’
A video published by TMZ in October showed Green punching Poole during a preseason practice. Green publicly apologized to Poole and spent a week away from the team to ‘heal,’ before rejoining the Warriors for the season opener. Although the Warriors said they would be able to move forward, Kerr admitted that Golden State never fully regained each other’s trust.
‘Anytime some trust is lost, then it makes the process much more difficult, and there was some trust lost,’ Kerr said. ‘That’s as blunt as I can be. We have to get back to what has made us really successful, which is a really trusting environment and a group that relies on one another and makes each other better.’
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Despite the volatility of Green ― who earned a one-game suspension in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs for stomping on the chest of Sacramento Kings’ Domantas Sabonis ― Kerr said the Warriors ‘absolutely want him back.’
“If Draymond is not back, we’re not a championship contender,” said Kerr, who has led the Warriors to four titles in eight years, mostly recently in 2022. “We know that. He’s that important to winning and to who we are.’
Green has a $27.6 million player option for next season and could opt out for another long-term deal, but he stated that he wants to stay in Golden State with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for another title run.
“He knows that he had a great season this year, from a basketball perspective, but he knows that he also compromised things by what happened back in October,” Kerr said of Green. “So part of him coming back next year has to be about rebuilding some of that trust and respect that he’s earned here for a long period of time. One thing I love about Draymond is he’s always brutally honest, and he can take that sort of critique because he knows it’s the truth. I want him back. I think we all want him back.”
In addition to building trust, Kerr said the Warriors must improve their road record, work on their efficiency in transition, defend without fouling and get their younger players, like Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, more involved to contend next year.