Draymond Green appears to be close to making a significant step forward in his return from an indefinite suspension.
The Warriors‘ star forward is expected to return to the team’s facility “in the coming days” as he prepares to rejoin the team, ESPN reported Thursday. A possible return date is still unknown, but conversations about Green’s return are “ongoing” and his return is getting closer, per the report.
Green hasn’t played since the NBA indefinitely suspended him on Dec. 13, a day after he struck Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a game the day prior. He received a Flagrant 2 for the play, marking the third time he’d been ejected from a game this season. The indefinite suspension was levied on Green just a couple of weeks after he returned from a five-game suspension in November, which he received after putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock.
The NBA said Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” went into its decision to give him a rare indefinite suspension in December.
“He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the NBA said in its statement, which noted that the suspension was handed down by operations chief Joe Dumars.
In the days after Green’s meeting with the league, he reportedly began counseling, The Athletic reported on Dec. 18. As Green began counseling, he was reportedly expected to miss three weeks. While NBA commissioner Adam Silver has the final say on when Green can return, he’s expected to meet Silver’s requirements in order to return to play, ESPN reported.
Green missed his 10th game since the indefinite suspension was handed down Tuesday, when the Warriors defeated an upstart Magic squad that’s been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season. While Golden State only improved to 16-17 on the season with the win, it improved to 6-4 since Green received his indefinite suspension.
But the Warriors still sit in 11th place in the Western Conference standings, sitting on the outside looking in for the last play-in spot with the Lakers due to a tiebreaker. They face the defending champion Nuggets, which they lost to in a close battle on Christmas Day, on Thursday.
Green, who played a pivotal role in the Warriors’ run to four titles over the previous nine seasons, re-signed with the team on a four-year, $100 million deal this past offseason following speculation of a possible breakup. The suspension cost Green 10 game checks of $153,941 thus far.
Green is scoring 9.7 points per game, but his 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game are the lowest he’s averaged since Steve Kerr became the Warriors’ head coach in the 2014-15 season.
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Draymond Green
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