Suns players Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkić expressed concern for the Warriors veteran

With questions surrounding the potential length of Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension for swinging at Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić on Tuesday night, NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars explained the decision Thursday.

Dumars, who appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” to discuss the suspension, has plenty of experience discussing Green’s issues.

“You wanna see guys grow and you wanna do what’s best for them,” Dumars said. “Clearly something is going on. Clearly, he’s crossed a line and we need to deal with it.”

Joe Dumars speaks on how the league landed on an “indefinite suspension” for

Green will be required to satisfy undisclosed league and team conditions before he returns to the court, the league said when announcing terms of the punishment Wednesday. The NBA cited Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts,” language it has used about the 33-year-old since he was issued a one-game suspension during a playoff series with the Sacramento Kings last season. This is his second suspension of the current campaign.

Dumars rebuffed attempts to confirm a minimum amount of games Green will miss, emphasizing the priority on Green’s well-being.

“The reason we don’t have a number is because the help that he needs to get, getting himself better, is what’s most important,” he said.

Draymond Green will be away from the Golden State Warriors for however long he needs. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Former Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, who played alongside Green for almost a decade, took over as executive director of the NBA players’ union last month. In his new role, Iguodala was “exceptional” in helping to “craft” the suspension, Dumars said.

In addition to Iguodala’s support, Dumars listed Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy as proponents of the idea.

“There’s been no pushback,” Dumars added. “Everybody is on board with, ‘You know what, this is the right thing to do to help him get better.'”

Hours after Dumars’ TV appearance, the Warriors added Green into the apparent concord.

“We understand there’s a punishment that will take place but this is also about helping somebody,” Dunleavy said, via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “They 100% agreed. So did Draymond.”

Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić, Steve Kerr say Draymond Green needs help

Green’s most recent incident occurred in the third quarter of the Warriors’ 119-116 loss to the Suns on Tuesday night in Phoenix. Struggling with Nurkić on an inbounds play, Green suddenly spun around and swung. He hit Nurkić directly in the face with his right hand, sending him down to the court.

Green was assessed a foul, which was upgraded to a flagrant 2. He was ejected from the game as a result, marking his third ejection of the season. Green apologized for hitting Nurkić, asserting the strike was an accident caused by an attempt to sell a call.

“What’s going on with him, I don’t know,” Nurkić said after the game. “Personally, I feel like that brother needs help. I’m glad he didn’t try to choke me. … That had nothing to do with basketball. I’m just out there trying to play basketball.”

Nurkić was referencing Green’s second ejection this season, which saw him place Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert in chokehold last month. Green was issued a five-game suspension for the bizarre assault.

When Kevin Durant was asked about Green’s most recent flagrant 2, he echoed Nurkić’s concerns.

“That was insane to see. Glad Nurk is all right. Never seen that before in a basketball court in an NBA game,” he said. “I hope Draymond gets the help he needs. It’s been incident after incident.”

Kerr spoke Thursday and agreed with the decision.

Here’s a pretty impassioned Steve Kerr on the Draymond Green indefinite suspension. He agrees with it and believes it can help Draymond. pic.twitter.com/0FxN69qQbo

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 15, 2023

Dumars and the league didn’t miss Durant and Nurkić’s comments.

“When we see guys say stuff like that … yeah, we see it,” Dumars said Thursday. “You look at it and it kind of confirms what we’re saying internally anyway. But it doesn’t sway any part of the decision. It’s just another factor that we look at.”

Green acknowledged he had “room to grow” after his incident with Gobert. Under the league’s current ruling, it appears he’ll be required to do so.