The Houston Rockets proved that they are determined to contend for a championship this season when they acquired Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade over the summer, but Draymond Green apparently does not think it is going to be enough.
Green shared some of his thoughts on the current state of the NBA during the latest episode of his “The Draymond Green Show” podcast, which was released on Tuesday. The Golden State Warriors star said he can already tell that the road to the NBA Finals is going to be incredibly difficult in the Western Conference.
Green said the West is going to be a “blood bath” this season. He believes there are five legitimate title contenders in the conference: his Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
You can listen to Green’s rationale for naming those teams.
Draymond Green says the Warriors, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and Thunder are the only real contenders in the West 👀
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 28, 2025
(🎥 @DraymondShow / h/t @NBA__Courtside )
pic.twitter.com/eqDHrzNvRt
Fans were quick to point out that Green did not mention the Rockets, even with Durant now leading the way in Houston.
No Houston 👀
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) October 28, 2025
Clippers but no rockets?
— Objective🦉 (@Sn7p35) October 28, 2025
draymond is a funny guy. he knows what he's doing by leaving out the rockets https://t.co/xuPIggUwko
— ً (@logoluka) October 28, 2025
A lot of people also feel that the Warriors are not a true championship contender this season, though there was no way Green was going to leave his own team off of the list. The Rockets were the most notable omission, especially because of Green’s history with Durant.
Green and Durant were teammates in Golden State for four years. They won two titles together, but a high-profile feud between the two was a factor in why Durant left the Warriors in 2019. There has been tension between Green and K.D. ever since.
It is possible that Green does not believe the addition of a 37-year-old Durant makes the Rockets a true contender. Green is also one of the most notorious agitators of all time, so he may have deliberately left Houston off the list in order to get under his former teammate’s skin.
