5 Golden State Warriors that are untouchable, 3 that should be cut loose

Untouchable No. 2 – Draymond Green

To mark Draymond Green as untouchable would have seemed unthinkable at the start of the year. He lost his cool and punched Jordan Poole prior to the season, setting off a chain of events that led to a slow start and, as both Green and Steve Kerr admitted, probably led to their second-round playoff exit. Without that punch, perhaps the Warriors are still alive.

In the aftermath of the punch it seemed like Green’s future was increasingly likely to involve a different team than the Warriors. He has a player option on his contract that he is likely to decline in order to hit free agency, and with the Warriors’ tax bill skyrocketing it seemed almost certain Green would be the casualty, given his age and temper. When the Warriors extended Poole but not Green, that seemed like a done deal.

Then something strange happened, that shouldn’t be surprising to those who have followed the team for the last decade: Draymond Green played his butt off, doing everything asked of him, rebuilding trust with his teammates and proving himself one of the best defensive players in the league and absolutely critical to the Warriors’ success.

The dynasty was built on the back of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and this year that trio proved that whatever happens over the final years of the dynasty, they are going down together. Green roared his way back into “untouchable” status and is almost certain to be brought back next year.