The NBA fined Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green $50,000 yesterday for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule.
The fine is in response to Green’s comments on Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker that he made Friday while serving as an analyst on TNT.
Green initially praised Booker for his play during the Suns’ undefeated run to begin the NBA’s restart near Orlando. Then Green took it too far in the eyes of the NBA.
“It’s not good for him. It’s not good for his career,” Green said. “… They gotta get Book out of Phoenix. I need my man to go somewhere where he can play great basketball all the time and win, because he’s that type of player.”
Asked by TNT’s Ernie Johnson if he thought his comments were tampering, Green responded, “Maybe.”
Booker, 23, is under contract with the Suns through the 2023-24 season after signing a five-year, $158.25 million extension in July 2018. He leads Phoenix (31-39) in scoring at 26.4 points per game this season.
Green’s public comments on Booker weren’t his first in regard to the Suns. Earlier this season, Green criticized Phoenix for how it handled forward Marquese Chriss, who ended up playing for the Warriors this season. Chriss played for the Suns from 2016-18.
“He’s been in some pretty tough situations,” Green said after a preseason game. “No one ever blames the situation, though. It’s always the kid. No one ever blames these (expletive) franchises. They always want to blame the kid. It’s not always the kid’s fault. Let’s be frank about it, when he was there, the organization was terrible. Everything was going wrong. But he get blamed, like he’s the problem. When he left, ain’t nothing go right. That’s my take on it.”
—Field Level Media
