Sitting 14th in the Western Conference with a 21-49 record, the Sacramento Kings are light-years away from playoff contention. Now, during the final minutes of Tuesday’s game vs. the Golden State Warriors, they began deliberately fouling Seth Curry. It was a clear move to drain the clock and secure better draft odds. Draymond Green picked up on it—and didn’t hold back once the game ended.
The 36-year-old Warriors veteran addressed the media postgame. And without a moment’s hesitation, fired back at the NBA for blatantly ignoring tanking teams. “I get fined when I do wrong,” he said. He further proposed a solution. “Just fine the hell outta people. They love taking money from players. Keep fining teams. I’ve seen two fines. As players, they snatch that money in a heartbeat. Why isn’t it the same? Everybody loves money.”
Green also highlighted the inconsistency in how the league handles discipline. He says the league clearly knows how to punish players, through fines or suspensions, but seems clueless when teams are at fault. So, he questions why the league doesn’t apply financial penalties equally, arguing that it quickly fines players but lets teams avoid similar accountability despite obvious issues.
Simple logic shows that if around 12 teams were involved in questionable situations but officials fined only two, many teams escaped punishment. “We don’t keep that same energy when it comes to teams, when it comes to officials, when it comes to everybody but players. We don’t keep that same energy. But this is a player’s league,” Draymond Green concluded.
Now, as you know, the NBA presented three anti-tanking proposals to its Board of Governors in New York. The league will also revise the proposals and hold a formal vote in May. According to ESPN’s report, each of the three proposals would bring major changes to the current system, all centered around one key idea: expanding the number of teams in the lottery. Thus, curbing the tanking plague.
However, Draymond Green’s supposed opinion is that, if the league doesn’t take action now, then what will happen later. Simply put, is the NBA waiting for the new regulations to do something against tanking teams? Who knows?
What brought out Draymond Green’s frustration?
The idea was simple: keep 12–13 teams in each conference competing deep into the season through the play-in format. Instead, the reality has changed this time. Once teams fall below the 10th spot in both conferences, the urgency fades, with several shifting focus toward securing better draft odds rather than pushing for a late playoff surge.
Now, in Tuesday’s game, the Kings leaned into chaos. Up 101-100 with 3:18 left, they fouled Seth Curry. He has an 86.4% shooting percentage, handing him two free throws. Curry split them, but the intent felt obvious. Then Doug McDermott drilled a three-pointer to swing momentum. However, the Golden State Warriors overturned their fate, closing on a ruthless 9-1 run to seal a 110-105 win.
Therefore, the Kings (21-59) now sit tied with the Utah Jazz (21-59) for the fourth-worst record. This lack of will to win seemingly doesn’t sit well with Draymond Green. Because while teams like them aren’t fighting for the postseason, the Warriors are. They are locked in the 10th position in the West. Interestingly enough, before the play-in format, they’d already be out of the race. Now, they’re just two road wins away from punching a playoff ticket.
It’s hard to tell what the future of the Dubs will be like in the upcoming days. They are clearly fighting for relevance and position in the league. And Draymond Green, just like Steve Kerr and everyone else on the team, won’t settle for anything less.
