Lakers News: Hawks’ Trae Young Jokes Draymond Green Punched Warriors Teammate Jordan Poole To ‘Get To L.A.’

Damian Burchardt
3 Min Read
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers will always be linked with a move for a disgruntled NBA star, particularly after failing to offload Russell Westbrook over the summer. Hence, it was inevitable that rumors of Draymond Green’s impending move to L.A. would come up after his altercation with fellow Golden State Warriors star Jordan Poole.

Green reportedly got involved in a scuffle with Poole at practice earlier this week. The 32-year-old is believed to have apologized for his behavior not long after, seemingly putting the drama to bed.

However, a video clip of Green forcefully punching his teammate in the face came out on Friday morning, sending shockwaves across the NBA community. Among the reactions, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young suggested the Warriors forward might have just earned himself a move to L.A.:

Even if Young’s remark was only intended for humor, the Lakers couldn’t have possibly escaped this sort of reaction after the details about Green’s misconduct emerged. Green has become close friends with LeBron James — and even said he would skip a Warriors game to attend the game during which the Lakers All-Star finally breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record.

The 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year has also hyped up Max Christie, a fellow Michigan State alum, after L.A. drafted him at No. 35 in the 2022 NBA Draft — the same pick with which Golden State selected Green in 2012.

Just recently, Green and James together invested in pickleball, becoming part of a consortium — which also included Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love — that secured the ownership of one of the four Major League Pickleball expansion teams.

To spice things up, the Lakers and Warriors will face each other on Sunday as the two teams continue their preseason preparation.

Green to appear on ‘The Shop’ in show’s first live audience episode

As if there weren’t enough Green-Lakers links, the Warriors forward appeared on the latest episode of James’ show, “The Shop.”

Among other topics, Green discussed with fellow guests P.J. Tucker and Lisa Leslie the legacy of Serena Williams, the tennis star who called time on her illustrious 27-year career in September.

The fifth season’s seventh episode of ‘The Shop” was a special one, as it was recorded in the newly-opened LeBron James Innovation Center at Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.

It was also the first time “The Shop” taping took place in front of a live audience.

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Damian Burchardt is a sports writer who has covered basketball, soccer, and many other disciplines for numerous U.K. and U.S. media outlets, including The Independent, The Guardian, The Sun, The Berkshire Eagle, The Boston Globe, and The Ringer.