The NBA is almost certain to suspend Draymond Green for striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face during Tuesday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. The only real question is how long the ban will be, but a new report suggests that one surprising factor is at least being taken into account.
Any suspension of at least seven games would keep Green out of the Warriors’ Christmas Day game against the Denver Nuggets. The league is aware of this and apparently taking it into account.
As the NBA continues to discuss Draymond Green and a possible suspension, league sources have told @ClutchPoints that the Warriors' Christmas Day game vs. the Nuggets has been brought up.
A suspension of seven games or greater would make Green unavailable for this game.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) December 13, 2023
Green was suspended for five games for choking Rudy Gobert during an on-court scuffle earlier in the season. The league has made clear that Green’s past transgressions do factor into the severity of future discipline, so a longer suspension would presumably be on the table here, especially with this incident taking place so soon after the previous one.
Christmas tends to be the biggest day of the NBA’s regular-season schedule, and they may be worried about a non-competitive game. Ultimately, though, it is very hard to imagine the NBA going easy on Green for this reason.
