Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, recently expressed his enthusiasm for the re-signing of Draymond Green, making a rare unqualified plea for the team to secure his return this summer. Kerr, a four-time champion coach, was effusive in his praise for the team’s decision to agree to a four-year, $100 million deal with Green earlier this month. Speaking to reporters about Team USA, whom he will coach in the FIBA World Cup this summer, Kerr stated, “We’re really excited to have Draymond back. He’s been such a huge part of this decade run and, as he showed this past year, he still has plenty left in the tank.” Kerr had previously made it clear that keeping Green, an unrestricted free agent, was his absolute priority, stating in May, “If Draymond is not back, we’re not a championship contender.” The new Warriors general manager, Mike Dunleavy, agreed with Kerr’s sentiments and traded away Jordan Poole for Chris Paul, clearing future space on the team’s balance sheet for Green’s new contract.
Team USA Lineup and Exclusion of Ja Morant
Speaking about his role as coach of Team USA, Kerr revealed that he plans to use the August training camp and five exhibition games to work on his lineup before the U.S. opens World Cup play on August 26th against New Zealand in Manila, Philippines. Kerr mentioned that New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, who has a strong history in FIBA play, is expected to play a significant role, along with defensive specialist Mikal Bridges of the Brooklyn Nets. Kerr also highlighted Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr., the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, as an anchor for the team, especially considering that there is no defensive 3-second rule in FIBA play.
However, Kerr did not provide any insight into why Grizzlies star Ja Morant was not included in the World Cup roster. At one point, Morant was considered a strong candidate to be a headliner of the team. Morant’s absence from the roster may have been a choice made by USA Basketball or Morant himself. Morant has faced suspension twice by the NBA, including a 25-game suspension for the upcoming season, due to conduct detrimental to the league. This conduct was brought to light when videos emerged on social media showing Morant holding a firearm. Grant Hill, the executive director of USA Basketball, declined to elaborate on the reasons for Morant’s exclusion but expressed support for the young player, stating, “We all are fans of Ja Morant, and he’s an incredibly talented player… It’s been a challenging season, challenging year for him. I think I can say we all are rooting for him and hope that he can put this behind and have the great success we all hope that he can have. I don’t want to necessarily, not just because it’s Ja, but just in general, I don’t want to talk about discussions I may have had with other people through this process.”
Coach Steve Kerr has shown great excitement for the re-signing of Draymond Green to the Golden State Warriors. He believes Green’s presence is essential for the team to remain championship contenders. Additionally, Kerr provided some insight into the lineup for Team USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, highlighting the expected contributions of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Jaren Jackson Jr. However, the exclusion of Ja Morant from the roster remains a mystery, with no clear indication of whether it was a decision made by USA Basketball or a personal choice by Morant himself.
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