Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is ready to return to the floor again in the 2023-24 campaign. The NBA suspended him indefinitely for an altercation with Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic on Dec. 12, and he missed Golden State’s next 12 games as a result. The league has elected to reinstate him, as first reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Green has been undergoing counseling during his suspension and has held meetings with his team and the league to show the progress he has made. He will be required to continue checking in moving forward.
On Dec. 18, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Green would be sidelined for at least three more weeks, which would mean the earliest he could return to the court would be Jan. 10 against the New Orleans Pelicans. That same day, however, Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, reiterated that there was no minimum or maximum number of games attached to the suspension.
After Golden State’s 121-115 win against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 2, coach Steve Kerr told reporters he wasn’t sure how long it would take for Green to ramp up once he gets back in the practice facility. Kerr said that he’d texted with Green a little bit, but didn’t offer much of an update on his status.
“We’ve been giving him his space, he’s been giving us ours,” Kerr said.
Green will need about a week to work his way toward playing again, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Golden State is set to visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, Jan. 13.
The Warriors have stayed afloat without the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year and went 7-5 during his suspension. They’ve made several lineup changes since his departure and it’s unclear how he’ll fit into the picture moving forward.