Josh Hart publicly called Draymond Green out Tuesday for “counting other people’s pockets.”
A video of Green recently resurfaced showing him discussing the New York Knicks on an episode of the “Club 520” podcast hosted by Jeff Teague. In the clip, Green criticized Brunson’s now-celebrated move of leaving money on the table to give the Knicks more cap flexibility.
The Knicks point guard famously agreed to an early extension in 2024 that was worth around $113 million less in guaranteed money than if he had waited one more season to negotiate it.
“It’s the New York Knicks, bro. They can afford it,” Green said in the clip. “You ain’t got to take no discount for them to get paid. My situation is different because Steph making $270 million, Klay making $180 million. All right, something got to give. Cool. I can take a less.”
“He the top guy. Let Josh Hart or somebody else take less. They in my role. Guess what, Steph Curry ain’t take a penny less. And neither did Klay Thompson ain’t take a penny less. I don’t know what he doing. That’s $100 million.”
Draymond Green says Jalen Brunson shouldn't have taken a $100,000,000 discount with the Knicks
— dank (@cptdankkk) July 27, 2026
“It's the New York Knicks, bro. They can afford it. You ain't got to take no discount for them to get paid. My situation is different because Steph making $270 million, Klay making… pic.twitter.com/nczygJVNOQ
Hart took exception to Green’s comments and told him to mind his own business, especially when it comes to other people’s finances.
“We got to normalize grown men not counting other peoples pockets,” Hart captioned a repost of the clip.
We got to normalize grown men not counting other peoples pockets https://t.co/o5pr8MWiz6
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) July 29, 2026
Brunson’s sacrifice was arguably the difference in the Knicks’ fantastic NBA Finals run last season, because it enabled the team to keep the championship core intact for multiple seasons. In taking the pay cut, the Knicks star ultimately paved the way for him to become one of the most beloved human beings in New York City history — something money cannot buy.
If anything, Green’s issues with franchise players like Brunson needing to take pay cuts for the sake of roster flexibility should be directed toward the NBA Players’ Association.
The current era of the second apron has made it difficult for teams to keep their core players together for longer stretches without incurring draconian penalties. It’s why players like Brunson and now Victor Wembanyama have started taking less money for a better chance at team success.
Until the league and its players negotiate a new CBA, it’s likely to keep happening.
