NBA Fines Draymond Green For Comments About Devin Booker

Posted on by Sagar Biswas

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been fined $50,000 for comments he made about Devin Booker on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

What We Know:

  • Draymond Green appeared as a guest analyst on “Inside the NBA” on Friday. He joined Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith to talk basketball and make fun of Charles Barkley. Green provided his expertise to breakdown tape from the day’s games and the group debated about the end-of-season awards. However, it was what Green said about Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker which ruffled some feathers.
  • “It’s great to see Book playing well and Phoenix playing well but get my man out of Phoenix. It’s not good for him, it’s not good for his career,” Green said while discussing the Suns’ surprising success in the bubble. When Ernie Johnson asked Green if he was tampering, he didn’t even try to hide it.

  • Maybe the Suns heard Green’s comments and wanted to prove him wrong because they went out on Saturday and beat the Miami Heat behind Booker’s 35 points, climbing to 5-0 and continuing their undefeated streak in the bubble.
  • Suns center Deandre Ayton was asked about Green’s comments on “The Woj Pod” with Adrian Wojnarowski. He commented, “We definitely heard that noise. It was promoted everywhere. It’s just outside noise. Book is a dude who really maintains focus, and he just wants to win.”
  • The NBA really wants to deter tampering of any kind. It’s rare to see players like Green punished for tampering because player-to-player recruitment in the NBA is so common and rarely enforced. In 2018, former Lakers executive Magic Johnson was fined for comments he made about Giannis Antetokounmpo. The same season, LeBron James publicly said he would love to play with Anthony Davis and he was not fined. Both James and Johnson made public comments about players who were under contract with other teams, but it is usually executives who get punished for tampering, not players. Green’s comments about Booker could be a sign that the league will be harder on players for comments they make publicly.

Green is a three-time champion and former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He is no stranger to tampering, admitting that he recruited Kevin Durant in 2016 while he was still under contract with Oklahoma City.

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