Draymond Green fined but not suspended, set to rejoin team

Draymond Green has been fined but won’t be suspended by the Golden State Warriors for a violent punch to the face of teammate Jordan Poole last week.

Coach Steve Kerr said after Tuesday’s preseason win against Portland that Green would return to practice Thursday, then play for the defending NBA champions against Denver on Friday night and again in the season opener Tuesday against the Lakers. Kerr, general manager Bob Myers and players have met to decide how to best proceed — including Green and Poole talking to each other.

“We feel like we have a great feel for our team. We’ve got a lot of continuity on this team, so Bob and I know our players extremely well,” Kerr said. “We feel like this is the best way after assessing everything for us to move forward. It’s never easy no matter what decision you make in a situation like this. It’s not going to be perfect. This is the biggest crisis that we’ve ever had since I’ve been coach here. It’s really serious stuff.”

Someone will have to be traded