The first half of the season isn’t even complete, yet Draymond Green has already accumulated nine technical fouls. During the Golden State Warriors’ game against the Utah Jazz, Green picked up two technicals in the first half, resulting in an early ejection.
Following the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr refrained from placing blame on Green and instead appeared to question the officials’ handling of the situation. Kerr admitted he did not hear exactly what was said between Green and referee Kevin Carter but suggested the exchange escalated quickly.
“I didn’t hear what he said, but it was a quick one,” Kerr said. “I know he got the T right away, and then Kevin tossed him almost immediately. So I don’t know what he said, but I assume it was something that Kevin just wasn’t going to do. to listen to, so I don’t know anything going on.”
“We need him.”
Steve Kerr says he did not know what Draymond Green told ref Kevin Cutler on the ejection. Says it seemed quick, but that it must have been something Cutler didn’t want to hear. Green has nine techs already. pic.twitter.com/Bs82G9qihc
— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) January 4, 2026
“Yeah, yeah. I mean, we need Draymond, and I want him out there. And so I think he might be up to about 9. We’re not halfway through the season yet, so long way to go and we need him. Aside from him just being Steph, what changed as far as.”
Stephen Curry didn’t shy away from addressing Draymond Green’s ejection after the Warriors’ narrow win. Even without knowing exactly what was said during the exchange with the referee, Curry suggested the reaction felt excessive.
“We won the game, that’s all we care about, that’s all he cares about, I know,” Curry said. He’d rather be out there, I don’t know what he said to the ref, but I didn’t think it was. The consensus in the locker room was there wasn’t enough to get thrown out.”
The incident stemmed from Green arguing with officials over a missed call. Green insisted that Kyle Filipowski had been in the paint for more than three seconds. After consecutive exchanges with the referees, Green was hit with back-to-back technical fouls and ejected immediately.
Jimmy Butler weighs in on Draymond Green’s absence
After the game, Jimmy Butler avoided diving into the specifics of Draymond Green’s ejection. However, Butler made it clear that winning without him does not diminish his value to the team.
“That ain’t the formula,” Butler said. “We need 23 out there… It’s so hard to do what he does but it’s a collective effort when he’s not out there.”
“It’s hard to, it’s genuinely hard to cover up what he does on both sides of the floor. The IQ on both sides of the floor, obviously the defenses, but to get everybody to ball. And then Dre started off hot today, you know what I’m saying? So it’s so hard to do what he does, but it’s to come out the left wing.”
Despite Green’s absence, the Warriors closed out a 123–124 win. Before being ejected, Green logged 12 minutes, finishing with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, 1-of-2 from three-point range, and three rebounds.
