"Jordan Poole is the new face coming up" -Gilbert Arenas claims Golden State Warriors intentionally leaked Draymond Green's punching video
Draymond Green/Jordan Poole/Gilbert Arenas
© John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors were the epitome of discipline and hard work as they fetched the NBA Championship last season. However, as many expected all their marquee stars to grab mega contract extensions, the basketball world was shocked to see a leaked TMZ video of Draymond Green flying in the air to knock out young stud Jordan Poole.
Prior to the start of the 2022-23 NBA Season, the defending champions had to deal with the flat-out misery of this event. While plenty of fanatics were already bashing out TMZ for trying to cause a rift within the organization, former NBA player Gilbert Arena has joined the pact in framing a bold theory.
Arena, who was a part of the Golden State Warriors from 2001-03, claimed that it was the team themself who leaked the video to villainize the former DPOY. Adding to his theory, Gilbert stressed how Jordan Poole getting bullied would've enabled the Warriors to get the upper hand in rationalizing Green's contract extension.
Arenas on why the Warriors wanted to paint Draymond Green as a villain
In an interview with Vlad TV, Gilbert Arena gave an insight into how NBA contract extensions work and how internal politics are always plays a big hand in it.
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He stated, "We have practice cameras, we have camera cameras, we have people filming. It happened. Who is in control of it all now? The team (indicating towards Golden State Warriors). The Warriors are painting a picture.
"They have to justify why they won't offer somebody a certain amount of money or a long-term deal. Jordan Poole is the new face coming up. Now, if the Warriors don't re-sign Draymond, there is footage of why."
Does this take by Arenas holds any weightage?
In simpler words, the three-time All-Star indicated that Golden State Warriors had this 'leaked' video as evidence for not re-signing Draymond Green for a mega contract despite championship triumph.
The Warriors had already handed out Jordan Poole a large 4-year $140 million contract extension, adding support to Stephen Curry's offensive unit. Moreover, Andrew Wiggins had agreed to a 4-year $109 Million extension, making the Dubs make another financial commitment before securing Green's paycheck.
This clearly indicated that the concerned franchise chose to secure the services of their younger core rather than Draymond. For those unaware, the Golden State Warriors have the highest payroll in the league, with a $202.1 Million total salary cap, as per Spotrac. In the 2023-24 season, Draymond is set to earn $27.9 Million solely via salaries, clearly upon which Golden State doesn’t want to add more.
There could be a point here; Draymond Green is 32 years old and could enter free agency as he vouches for a final big-sum-contract extension before the twilight of his career. That being said, the former Defensive Player of the Year is currently averaging 7.9 points and more than 6.6 rebounds and assists in the ongoing NBA season.
