Say this for Draymond Green: He was himself on the way out of the 2025-26 season.
The Golden State Warriors’ campaign ended Friday with a 111-96 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the final game of the NBA play-in tournament. With no doubt remaining about the result late in the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ longtime big man got into it with Suns star Devin Booker and wound up getting ejected by Scott Foster.
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First, Green fouled out of the game with a hard hack on Booker, which was called an away-from-play foul and gave Booker a free throw.
Green went back to the Warriors bench and shared a hug with co-star Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr, who have been the core of Warriors for 12 seasons now. It was a nice moment … and then Green started sharing some words with Booker at the free-throw line.
The confrontation quickly got heated, and Booker eventually needed to be held back. Foster called a double technical foul on both players, ejecting them from the game.
Green, naturally, egged on the hostile crowd on his way off the court. He finished with 5 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 5 turnovers in a rough game overall for the Warriors.
Draymond Green was unquestionably himself on the way out.
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
The Warriors’ season ended moments later, beginning an offseason that could see major change in the NBA’s most successful franchise of the past decade. Among the biggest questions is Green’s future with the team.
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Green has a player option remaining on his contract for $27.7 million, but he wants an extension and was known to be available at the NBA trade deadline. He could opt to hit free agency this summer or exercise the option and see what happens.
He acknowledged the possibility this could be it for him and the Warriors after the game, saying he hopes the team still values what he brings to the table:
“I hope I’ve done enough to still be here, because at the end of the day, if I ain’t done enough, I don’t want to be here.
“Hopefully I’ve done enough to still be here, but if not, we’ll see what it looks like. It’s been a hell of a run, so I hope I’m high enough on the meter of doing things. If not, we’ll see what happens next. But if the question is where I want to be, I think it’s pretty obvious guys, like where the hell I’m going? They want me here, I’ll be here.”
If Green puts himself on an expiring deal, the Warriors could very well trade him as they try to figure out the right combination of youth and experience around Curry in the final years of his career. Rumors have certainly circled around them adding another superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo or LeBron James, and Green’s salary would be a major factor in that effort.
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Kerr’s contract is also expiring this season, and it’s tough to say what the future holds for him after winning four championships with the Warriors. A Prime Video mic caught him saying “I don’t know what’s going to happen next” to Curry and Green in their embrace together.