Durant: 'I hope Draymond gets the help he needs' amid suspension
Kevin Durant wished the best for former Golden State Warriors teammate Draymond Green on Wednesday while discussing the latter's indefinite suspension for striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
"That was insane to see. Glad Nurk is alright. Never seen that before on a basketball court or NBA game," Durant said, courtesy of Duane Rankin of AZ Central. "I hope Draymond gets the help he needs. It's been incident after incident.
"I know Draymond, and he hasn't been that way when I was around him and coming into the league. Hopefully, he gets the help he needs and can get back on the court and put all this stuff behind him."
Durant and Green played together in Golden State from 2016-19, winning two NBA championships in three trips to the Finals. The two had their share of disagreements, including a public spat late in 2018 that resulted in the Warriors suspending Green for one game.
While they've since smoothed things over, Durant subsequently admitted that the Warriors' handling of the matter was a factor in his decision to leave for the Brooklyn Nets the following summer.
Nurkic, who said after Tuesday's game against Golden State that Green's strike had "nothing to do with basketball," said Wednesday that he still holds the Warriors veteran in high regard despite the incident.
"I have a lot of respect for him, obviously, even before this," the Suns center said, according to Rankin. "I still have it. I don't know what people go through. It's not our problem, but he's an NBA champion for me, Hall of Famer still."
This is Green's second suspension of the season. He was banned for five games in November for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock during an on-court confrontation.
The Golden State forward was ejected from three of his 15 games this campaign. Throughout his 12-year career - all of it spent with the Warriors - Green has now been ejected from 19 games. Only Rasheed Wallace (29) has more career ejections in NBA history.