The Golden State Warriors have started the 2026-27 NBA season in difficult fashion, and Draymond Green has been right at the centre of the early drama. From a technical foul and a fitness scare to honest words about his future, here is the latest Draymond Green news.
A rough start: 0-2 after the Grizzlies loss
Golden State dropped to 0-2 on the season after losing 111-108 to the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center on Friday night. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 24 points, but he was the only Golden State player to reach 20, with Brandin Podziemski and Yaxel Lendeborg next on 18 points each. For Memphis, Ty Jerome scored 28 points and rookie Cameron Boozer added 25 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
Green finished the game with five points, four rebounds, six assists, and one block. But the talking point came late in the second quarter, when he got into a heated exchange with Grizzlies centre Isaiah Stewart as the two lined up in the free-throw area. The referee assessed technical fouls to both players. It was Green’s first technical of the season, which under league rules carries a $2,000 fine, with fines rising as technicals accumulate.
Injury worry before the Suns game
The Warriors’ problems grew before Saturday’s trip to Phoenix. Green was listed as doubtful and then ruled out for the Suns game with bilateral lower-back soreness, according to injury reports. He joined a long inactive list: Curry was ruled out for right knee injury management on the second night of a back-to-back, while Podziemski and Al Horford were also out with bilateral lower-back soreness management. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody were out after knee surgery, and Kristaps Porzingis was away from the team.
Being without four rotation regulars at once is a major test of Golden State’s depth, especially with Porzingis having already missed camp and the pre-season. The team was expected to reassess Green’s status ahead of its next game after the Phoenix trip.
Green fires back at critics
Earlier in October, Green also hit back at social media criticism about his shape after a pre-season game against the Los Angeles Clippers, where a video clip showed him looking heavier than fans expected. On his online show, he explained that a sweater and fanny pack tied around his waist, plus glasses pulling his shirt down, made him look different on camera, and insisted he was in decent shape for that stage of pre-season. It was a typically blunt Green response: unbothered, direct, and unwilling to let the chatter linger.
He has also been outspoken about NBA officiating, calling out what he sees as inconsistent enforcement of freedom-of-movement rules and the league’s renewed emphasis on offensive push-offs. Green argued that such points of emphasis tend to fade once the regular season begins, and said he would adjust his own defensive positioning rather than wait for referees to change.
His future beyond this season
The bigger story may be what happens next summer. Green told CNBC that he plans to play next season even if the Warriors do not keep him, treating 2026-27 as potentially his last year in Golden State. He declined a $27.7 million player option in July to give the team flexibility, then re-signed a one-year deal for the same amount, leaving him without a guaranteed contract beyond this season.
Golden State finished 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs, and coach Steve Kerr has adjusted the offence to play faster and space the floor more, a change that alters Green’s role. Green says he will enjoy the season and hold no ill feelings if the franchise moves on. That honesty sets up one of the most interesting free-agency storylines of next summer.
For now, the immediate question is simpler: when Green is fit and back on court, can he help steady a Warriors team that has started the season short-handed and short of wins? For more sports and celebrity news, visit the Celebrity Hub homepage.