NBA Rumors: Latest on Kevin Durant, Draymond Green Feud

Draymond Green was suspended without pay by the Golden State Warriors for one game on Tuesday for conduct detrimental to the team after a heated exchange with Kevin Durant during the team's 121-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.

Durant took issue with Green not passing him the ball in the waning moments of regulation, triggering a contentious argument.

The war of words escalated and continued in the locker room, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com.

Green reportedly crossed a line in the verbal confrontation when he called Durant a "b---h" multiple times, league sources told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The dressing down was so excessive, that the normally carefree Klay Thompson addressed the locker room, explaining that it was important that they all stick together because they "all want to win."

Green's punishment was meted out Tuesday night when the Warriors played host to the Atlanta Hawks.

He was not at Oracle Arena and hasn't made a statement about the suspension.

The missed game will cost Green about $120,480, but it may cost Golden State a chance at a three-peat if they don't find a way to smooth this over.

"Knowing him for however many years I've known him, if caring too much is something that he struggles with, well, that's who he is," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. "We felt that this action merited the decision we made, but I have every confidence that he can move forward with it, our team can move forward with it, our organization, our players. Because again, this is part of the NBA, this is part of what happens."

According to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, the entire incident was sparked by Green taking exception with how Durant addressed him after he lost the ball on Monday night, asking him in a rage, "Who the f--k you talking to?"

That then led to a long tirade that included pointed comments about how Durant will handle his upcoming free agency, league sources told Shams Charania of The Athletic.

It's widely held that Green's outburst was an extreme sign that the cloud of Durant's free agency is starting to affect the locker room. However, head coach Steve Kerr maintains otherwise.

"Nobody ever talks about Kevin's free agency," Kerr said. "It doesn't bother any of us. This is the NBA. There are guys that are either under contract or are upcoming free agents. It's the business. We are focused on this year. I didn't think anybody in our locker room or anyone on our coaching staff thinks twice about Kevin's free agency this summer. That's next summer. We are coaching this year and we are playing this year."

The Warriors front office is doing its best to pivot from the altercation, but Green's dressing down of Durant was so volatile that it remained a "simmering issue" the next day, per Charania.

"With what was said, there is already no way Durant is coming back," one player told Thompson II. "The only hope is that they can say this summer, 'See, KD. We've got your back. We protected you from Draymond.'"

There's no word on whether or not Green and Durant have spoken to each other, but Myers remains optimistic that things will work themselves out.

"I think they have a lot in common," Myers said. "They both want to win. They both love to play. I think they would play basketball for free. It's a relationship that wants to do great things together, and they will, and they have. So I think they've got a sound relationship. But, you know, in this game, in this sport, one of the best things about sports is it's emotional. Sometimes, you know, it becomes too emotional."

This isn't the first time Green and Durant have had words in public. They clashed twice during the 2016-17 season and appeared to become better teammates because of it.

"They have won championships together, they have been teammates now for three seasons and they were teammates on the Olympic team," Kerr said. "You can draw your own conclusions."

With Green out and Stephen Curry still sidelined, Golden State still prevailed over Atlanta, winning 110-103.

The true sign that this won't be smoothed over any time soon was Durant's post-game presser when he dodged all questions related to the incident.

Even more telling was his one-word response to the question about if he'd spoken to Green since the feud.

"Nah," he said, tersely.

Durant and Green will have to come to terms before the Warriors start their three-game road trip against the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

And the team will have to find a way to make sure Green doesn't lose his competitive fire as a result of the suspension.

"Draymond is always going to be who he is," Kerr said. "Draymond is a powerful force. You guys know that. He's a huge reason why we've had so much success here, and Draymond is going to continue playing the way he plays, and I don't see him operating any other way."