Draymond Green’s mini-Antonio Brown moment this week may have been a while in the making.
The Golden State Warriors veteran forward Green made headlines on Monday night by walking off the bench after a heated exchange with head coach Steve Kerr. In the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., Green could be seen having a disagreement with Kerr during a timeout huddle.
In response, Green then walked off the floor and headed straight for the locker room. He did not play for the final 22-plus minutes of the game, but the Warriors still managed to cruise to the 120-97 victory over the Magic.
On Tuesday, Marc J. Spears of ESPN shared some context about the moment. During an appearance on “NBA Today,” Spears revealed that Green has been frustrated with the Warriors about having to defend much heavier centers on a regular basis this season.
Marc Spears:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 23, 2025
"I'm hearing to that Draymond's a little frustrated with having to guard centers and having the guys that are 40-50 pounds heavier than him on a nightly basis" pic.twitter.com/h5966xV8Z5
The Warriors just lost longtime frontcourt mainstay Kevon Looney in free agency over the offseason to the New Orleans Pelicans. With younger players like Quinton Post, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Jonathan Kuminga moving in and out of the rotation this season, that has indeed left the majority of the center minutes to go to the 6-foot-6 Green in small-ball lineups.
Green did operate as the de facto center for the majority of the Warriors’ four championship runs over the last decade. But those teams were far more switchable defensively, and Green is also a lot older now at 35 years old.
Frustrations are clearly boiling over at this point for the former Defensive Player of the Year Green, who also drew his first ejection of the season a few days ago for shoving an opponent. With the Warriors sitting at just 15-15 as well (eighth in the Western Conference), something clearly is not working with their gameplan right now.
