Warriors GM: You Could Argue Draymond Green, Jordan Poole Couldn't Both Stay on Team

New Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. acknowledged it might have been difficult to run things back next season with Draymond Green and Jordan Poole on the roster together.

In an interview with The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, Dunleavy was asked if he thought the two players couldn't be on the same team anymore:

"I can't say that's not an argument. Can make a good point about that. I think the biggest thing really is just financially we're in a position where we had to make some decisions. I think we were able to make a decision where we could free some of that while also still being highly competitive and having a chance to win a championship. It just ended up having to be a decision we had to make and so be it."

Dunleavy also explained that retaining Green was a priority for them because they are trying to keep their championship window open, and the versatility he brings is a better fit for what they need right now:

"At the same time, we needed to get Draymond back, what he brings to this team and what he has meant for the last 10 years. That's going to keep going. That matters. So we prioritized that. And from there, we knew … another contract probably needed to be moved. And Jordan ended up being that one. But we feel like getting a player back of Chris Paul's caliber can negate that in some ways or pick up that slack, It's kind of the business that we do. And we're in a good spot."

Poole, who signed a four-year, $128 million extension with the Warriors last offseason, was traded to the Washington Wizards on July 6 in a deal as part of a package for Chris Paul.

Poole and Green were involved in an altercation during Warriors' practice prior to the start of the regular season.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the incident that showed the two players engaging in a verbal back and forth when Green put his body into him, prompting Poole to shove him. Green retaliated by punching him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Green announced on Oct. 8, one day after the footage was released, he was going to step away from the team indefinitely. The Warriors fined the four-time All-Star, but didn't suspend him. He returned to practice five days later and was in the starting lineup for the regular-season opener on Oct. 14.

While both players attempted to downplay the situation over the course of the season, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters during his end-of-season press conference on May 16 the team never rebuilt trust in each other after the punch.

"Anytime some trust is lost, then it makes the process much more difficult, and there was some trust lost," Kerr said at his exit interview on Tuesday. "That's as blunt as I can be. We have to get back to what has made us really successful, which is a really trusting environment and a group that relies on one another and makes each other better."

That same day, Green told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith the Warriors would still be playing if the situation never happened.

The Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals after surviving a seven-game series against the Sacramento Kings in the first round.

Coming off an NBA championship in the 2021-22 season, the Warriors struggled to build any positive momentum last season. They were never more than three games over .500 until March 3 and had their fewest wins (44) in a season where Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson all played at least 50 games.

There were certainly financial reasons for the Warriors to trade Poole. Getting his contract, which runs through the 2026-27 season, helps the team save significant money in terms of future luxury tax payments and gives them more flexibility next summer depending on what they do with the options for Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Kevon Looney also has a $3 million partial guarantee for 2024-25 that becomes fully guaranteed for $8 million if the Warriors win the title next season or if he's on the roster seven days before the start of the 2024 free-agent moratorium period.

But it's hard not to imagine the main driving force for trading Poole was because they wanted to keep Green. The 33-year-old signed a four-year, $100 million deal to remain in Golden State this offseason.