Kevin Durant on Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole: ‘I’ve never seen that until the other day on camera’

Durant and Green ultimately healed their relationship, and the Warriors went about their business, something they’re trying to do again almost four years later in the wake of this latest episode. But as Durant watches the process unfold, he sees a stark difference between then and now. “That’s not the same situation,” Durant told ESPN. “Somebody got punched in the face … It’s no comparison to that. It was just some words that being — I heard people say that that happens a lot in the NBA. I had never seen nothing like that before. But what me and Draymond did a few years back, that s— happens all the time. So it’s easy to get through something like that, but I don’t know what this situation is like.” -via ESPN / October 13, 2022

Although Durant and Poole, who was drafted by the Warriors in 2019, never crossed paths as Golden State teammates, they have built up a bit of a relationship thanks to their shared relationship with multiple members of the Warriors coaching staff. Durant noted, however, that his friendship with Poole is not “to the point where I can text him or call him and talk to him about it.” “It seems cool, everybody’s back to normal,” Durant said. “Draymond is playing next game, Jordan was playing last game. So I guess it’s back to normal. Anything around our sport that doesn’t just involve the game of basketball — once it gets to that type of stuff, I try to stay away from it. It has nothing to do with anybody else but those people in the locker room.” -via ESPN / October 13, 2022

Bobby Portis: It’s cool when they do it, it’s a problem when I do it! -via Twitter @BPortistime / October 13, 2022

Stephen Curry ($93.1 million), Kevin Durant ($91 million), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($86.5 million) and Russell Westbrook ($72.1 million) fill out the top five behind James. Curry has the NBA’s highest salary for the sixth straight season at $48.1 million. Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo is the only player in the top 10 under the age of 32. Los Angeles’ two clubs, Lakers and Clippers, each landed three players among the top 15 earners, although the Houston Rockets are paying 86% of John Wall’s $47.4 million salary this season after a buyout. -via Sportico / October 13, 2022

The Golden State Warriors failure to suspend Draymond Green after he punched teammate Jordan Poole will cost them the NBA championship due to the internal chaos it has caused, Jalen Rose says. “I’m saying when you choose not to suspend him…their dynamics of that relationship will never be the same,” Rose said Wednesday on “NBA Countdown.” “And so therefore how can we coexist?” He added: “The people that’s riding with Jordan Poole won’t forgive Draymond, and they also are going to be mad at the organization that they didn’t suspend him.” -via Forbes.com / October 12, 2022