We are learning more about what may have led to the incident between Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green and Jordan Poole.
Green and Poole reportedly got into a physical altercation at practice on Wednesday. Although the two players have been known to get into verbal arguments, Green was described as having escalated Wednesday’s episode by “forcefully” striking Poole. You can read more about the incident here.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports offered some context later in the day. Haynes says that there had been a buildup from Warriors players regarding Poole. Teammates had reportedly noticed a change in Poole’s behavior throughout training camp with the 23-year-old guard on the verge of landing a sizable extension from the Warriors. Haynes also adds that Green was apologetic in the aftermath of his altercation with Poole.
It is possible that this latest information is a leak from Green’s camp in an attempt at damage control, especially since Green faces potential discipline from the Warriors over the incident with Poole. But Poole, who was a very important asset to Golden State’s title run last season with 18.5 points and 4.0 assists per game, does likely have a huge bag coming his way.
In recent weeks, we have seen other young wings like San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson (four years, $80 million), New York’s RJ Barrett (four years, $120 million) and Miami’s Tyler Herro (four years, $130 million) score lucrative rookie-scale extensions from their respective NBA teams (all totals including incentives). Unlike any of those guys, though, Poole has helped lead his team to a championship and may very well be the best young player on a Warriors squad mostly populated by 30-somethings.
We know that Poole is already somewhat of a prideful player. Now that Poole has a championship ring secured and a Brinks truck seemingly on the way, it all may be getting to his head a little bit.
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