Warriors News: Draymond Green Could Return from Toe Injury at End of Road Trip

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, who has sat eight games with a sprained right toe, may be returning to the lineup by the end of the team's Eastern Conference road swing.

That stretch concludes with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, December 7.

Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Thursday that Green "feels like he'll be able to play by the end of this road trip. Meaning one of the last couple of games. But again, it's day-to-day. We'll see."

Green has averaged 6.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 13 games this season.

The Warriors, who were 15-7 entering their matchup with the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, have gone just 5-4 without Green in the lineup heading into Thursday (Green also sat one game with a suspension). While point guard Stephen Curry has missed all but one of those games with a groin strain, the Warriors clearly miss Green's Swiss Army knife abilities to do nearly anything on the court.

Kerr also alluded to taking a long view at the season in further comments on Green:

"He's been very patient this time. I think he understands where we are. It's still November. There's a long haul ahead. He tried to play through the toe injury a couple of weeks back in L.A., and it made it worse. He recognizes we have to get this better before he gets back on the floor."

Having Green and Curry out for extended stretches of time isn't ideal, but the Warriors' health during the postseason is what matters most. Golden State isn't in any danger of missing the playoffs, and the Warriors were even second in the Western Conference leading into Thursday. Their efforts now don't matter nearly as much come playoff time. 

Still, it would be good to have Green back for the team's game with the Bucks, who crushed the Warriors, 134-111 in a potential NBA Finals preview. Golden State had no answer for Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who posted 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists in just 26 minutes. Green would at least slow down the 6'11" forward.

Per Mark Medina of the Mercury News, Green will be out Thursday as well as Saturday. A return on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks has not yet been ruled out.