Draymond Green Talks Kevin Durant, New Contract, Warriors' Doubters, More

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green sat down with ESPN's Rachel Nichols for an interview on The Jump, opening up on a bevy of topics from his new contract to the summer departure of Kevin Durant.

"This contract tells you that all the garbage you try to say about me—about arguing with Kevin [Durant], or the thing with Steve [Kerr], about the suspension—it just tells you that there was a method to that madness," he said. "And while so many people tried to write it differently, there's proof in the pudding now, that you're wrong. And I enjoy that just a tad."

"I am the guy you said could never play in this league. You were wrong," he added. "I am the guy you wanted to make out to be a dummy. You couldn't have been much further away from the truth."

As for Durant, Green said he spoke to him recently and that he was happy for him, noting that if someone told him several years ago that the Warriors would sign Durant, win two titles and have a shot at a third, he'd deem that outcome a successful one. 

He said he didn't learn about Durant's decision to sign with the Brooklyn Nets ahead of time, however.

"I found out that he was picking Brooklyn the way everyone else found out, which is exactly how it should be. He don't owe it to me to tell me before he tells everybody else. We did what he had to do. The thing that people forget about in this league is, like, this is our lives. I'm not about to go to Kevin Durant and say, 'Hey Kevin, can I get my fiancee pregnant?' That's my life!"

Green also touched on his decision to bypass free agency next offseason—and the chance to sign an even more lucrative deal than the four-year, $100 million extension he inked this summer—saying a major reason he returned to the Warriors was to continue playing with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. 

"I've got two guys I've been rolling with since I stepped into this league in Steph and Klay. We started this whole Golden State thing when it wasn't so sexy. Why would I get to this point where we'd built this entire organization up and bail on them? You don't bail on your baby. The Golden State Warriors, that's our baby."

As for the talk that the Warriors will be weaker without Durant—and with Thompson likely to miss a chunk of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL—Green couldn't believe that some doubters suggested the team could miss the playoffs.

"That's crazy to me," he said. "That's total disrespect, but no different than the disrespect we've been getting for years. 

He had a message for the oddsmakers doubting the team's championship odds as well. Caesars has the Warriors with 9-1 odds to win the title, longer odds than the Philadelphia 76ers (8-1), Milwaukee Bucks (11-2), Los Angeles Clippers (15-4) and Los Angeles Lakers (3-1), but Green was thrilled to be in the underdog role yet again:

"It's been a while since we've been the underdog, but it brings that underdog chip back. And I miss that chip. I'm pretty sure Steph misses that chip. And some of the stuff Klay has been texting me this summer, I'm positive he misses the chip. So I like where we're at. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it. So to the oddsmakers, thanks. You got me where I am today. I'm looking forward to where they take me again."

Green is always a memorable quote. But he remains the heart of the Warriors and the team's defensive keystone, too. It certainly sounds as though he's already motivated for the upcoming season.

The Warriors have plenty to prove. And that's just how Green likes it.