Unfortunately, there is no shortage of NBA players who have seen Draymond Green's temper up close. Steven Adams, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis, Rudy Gobert and Jordan Poole all come to mind, but among the more notable is Kevin Durant. He and Green played together for the Golden State Warriors for three years, and they were among the most successful of both of their careers. The Warriors reached the Finals in all three seasons combined and won two championships.
But early in their third season together, Durant and Green got into a verbal altercation at the end of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The argument was so bad that Green was suspended for one game. Durant left the Warriors at the end of the 2018-19 season and Green is still in trouble. On Tuesday, he was sent off for a flagrant blow to the head of Durant's current Suns teammate Jusuf Nurkic. The NBA suspended him indefinitely for the hit that Durant missed in a game. Durant addressed the incident on Wednesday after the Suns lost to the Brooklyn Nets and hoped that Green could get to the bottom of all the incidents.
“That was crazy to see,” Durant said said. “I'm glad Nurk is doing well. I've never seen that before on a basketball court in an NBA game. I hope Draymond gets the help he needs I was around him and got into the league. Hopefully he gets the help he needs to get back on the field and put all of this stuff behind him.”
Green has now been sent off three times this season and has been suspended for five games. He's up to 19 career shutouts and the league no longer seems willing to let him get away with slaps on the wrist. Green will reportedly undergo counseling in hopes of preventing future incidents like this. He must meet all criteria set by the league to return to the field. Durant, like the rest of the NBA, hopes Green can avoid more incidents like this. With an indefinite suspension now on his resume, there's no telling how much worse the discipline could get if Green doesn't figure out how to avoid situations like this in the future.