Steve Kerr candidly addresses Draymond Green's future with Warriors

While NBA fans love to joke about Draymond Green's appreciation/fandom of LeBron James, it doesn't appear the future for the 33-year-old will likely land him playing alongside the Los Angeles Lakers star. 

Barring some sort of drastic change and a world where the Lakers make Green a priority, the four-time NBA All-Star's immediate future still appears likely to be with the Golden State Warriors.

During Warriors head coach Steve Kerr's exit interview following the 2022-23 NBA season, Green was a topic of conversation for numerous reasons. One of which was the impact his punch on teammate Jordan Poole before the year had on the team's chemistry, but along with that, Kerr was direct and honest in his assessment of Green and his future.

As The Athletic's Anthony Slater detailed, Kerr openly said the Warriors are "not a championship contender" without Green while discussing his importance to the franchise.

“Look, if Draymond is not back, we’re not a championship contender,” Kerr said. “We know that. He’s that important to winning and to who we are. I absolutely want him back. He’s a competitor. He’s an incredible defensive player.”

But one noteworthy aspect of Kerr's comments on Green, following a breakdown of the relationship between the player and coach, was a statement that the forward "compromised things" with the decision to punch Jordan Poole.

Kerr then went on to discuss how Green returning to the Warriors next season has to partially be about rebuilding trust and respect while stating he wants him back, per The Athletic.

“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. Hopefully, that’s exactly what happens.”

Green currently has a $27.6M player option for the 2023-24 season, so he could opt to test the open market. His impact on the Warriors was on full display this season, and even more so in the NBA playoffs. 

Green had the best shooting year of his career, knocking down 52.7 percent of his attempts, and was consistent on both ends of the floor.

It'd be a major surprise if Green left the Warriors this offseason, even with the Poole drama still swirling around the team a bit. But the inability to mend that fence over the span of this season and the playoffs is at least slightly concerning. 

Realistically, fans should expect to see both Green and Poole back with the Warriors, but there'll be no shortage of storylines relating to the team's chemistry if they have a slow start once again next year.