Draymond Green Fires Back at Kendrick Perkins: I Am 1000 Percent Not the Player I Once Was

Draymond Green has answered Kendrick Perkins. Perkins said on ESPN First Take that Green has become a liability for the Golden State Warriors rather than an asset. Green fired back on his own podcast, The Draymond Green Show. He admitted he is not the player he once was at 36 years old, turning 37 later this season. But he pushed back on the idea that he brings nothing to the team. In his words, the difference between him and critics like Perkins is that he can think the game. The exchange followed Green ejection from a win over the Phoenix Suns.

Quick Facts

What Happened in Phoenix

The story started on the court, not on television. Green was ejected from the Warriors 116-113 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday. He committed a hard foul on Suns center Khaman Maluach, throwing the young big man to the floor. Moments later he grabbed Dillon Brooks by the collar as tempers flared. The officials handed Green two technical fouls, and that was enough to send him to the locker room early.

It was the 23rd ejection of Green NBA career and his first of the 2026-27 season. The league looked at the incident afterward and decided not to punish him further, so there was no suspension. The Warriors still won the game, holding on for a three point road victory, but the talking point after the final buzzer was Green, not the result.

What Perkins Said on First Take

The next morning, Kendrick Perkins took up the subject on ESPN First Take, and he did not soften his words. The former NBA center, who won a title with the Boston Celtics, said Green has stopped helping the Warriors in any real way. He said Green has done absolutely nothing for the Golden State Warriors, and that to him, Green has been a liability more than an asset.

Those words landed hard because Perkins was judging Green’s whole season, not one bad night. A liability means a player whose presence hurts his team more than it helps, a player opponents can target. For a four time champion and one of the defining players of the Warriors dynasty, that is a sharp demotion. Clips of the segment spread quickly across social media, and by the time Green recorded his podcast, everyone in basketball knew what had been said.

Green Fires Back on His Podcast

Green did not wait long to answer. On the next episode of The Draymond Green Show, his own podcast, he played the clip of Perkins and then took it apart in his own style.

He said Perkins had called him a liability and said he was no asset anymore. Then he said something few athletes in his position would say out loud. At 36 years old, soon to be 37 this year, he said he is 1000 percent not the player he once was, not even close. Then came the punch. Green said the difference between himself and big dummies like Perkins is that he can think. His body has slowed and his scoring has dropped. But his mind has not. He still reads the game, still organizes a defense, and still makes his teammates better in ways that do not show up in a points column. In his view, that is what Perkins misses when he looks at a box score and sees only a small scoring number.

Why Green Says the Foul Had to Happen

Green also used the podcast to explain the foul on Maluach. He said some fouls just have to happen to command the respect a player must command to protect a rim. In his telling, the hard foul was not about anger. It was about sending a message that the paint is not free, that drives to the basket will come at a price, and that the Warriors will not be pushed around.

That is old school basketball thinking. He believes a defender who never fouls hard is a defender opponents will test again and again, and that a hard foul early prevents easy layups later. He also took aim at Dillon Brooks, who had described the scuffle as an attempt to calm things down. Green was having none of that. He said Miles Bridges was trying to de-escalate, and that Brooks was not. Brooks has his own reputation as one of the league great agitators. Green message was serious under the noise. He believes his job includes policing the paint, and he believes the people who call that dirty or reckless do not understand what the job actually requires.

The Numbers Behind the Debate

Perkins case rests on the numbers, and the numbers this season do not flatter Green. He is averaging 3.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game across six appearances, shooting 38.9 percent from the field. Both his scoring and his rebounding are his lowest since his rookie year. A starting forward in the modern NBA who scores three points a game is a rare thing, and opponents know it. They can sag off him and dare him to shoot, which makes life harder for Stephen Curry and every other Warrior who needs space.

But the assists tell a different part of the story. At 6.3 per game, Green is still one of the best passing big men in the league, and his ability to run the offense from the top of the key remains central to how Golden State plays. Age is the quiet fact behind all of this. Green is 36, turning 37 during this season, and he has played deep into the playoffs almost every year of his career. The decline he admitted is not a surprise to anyone who has watched him. The question is whether the things he still does well are worth more than the things he can no longer do. His defensive positioning, his communication, and his ability to switch across positions still rate highly, even if his rebounding has slipped. Perkins looks at the points and sees a liability. Green looks at the whole picture and sees a player whose value has moved from his legs to his brain.

Kerr, Curry and the Warriors Winning Run

The context around this argument matters, because the Warriors are not struggling. They opened the season 0-3, but they have since won six straight games, including a 120-100 win over the Miami Heat on Thursday at Chase Center. Green had 11 assists in that game and helped contain Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds but a minus 22 rating while on the floor. It was a strong team performance, and Green’s fingerprints were all over it even though his scoring line stayed modest.

Coach Steve Kerr spoke before the game about Green role, and his words sounded like a direct answer to Perkins even though Kerr never mentioned him by name. Kerr said he really does not care about Green scoring, adding that Green move mostly to center makes defense and playmaking more important than points. Stephen Curry scored 29 points against Miami. The Warriors win over the Heat showed the team finding its rhythm at Chase Center. Looking ahead, the Warriors next game against the Suns is December 28, a date already circled by fans on both sides. The Suns, meanwhile, have had their own bright moments this season, and the Suns win over the Magic showed Devin Booker in strong scoring form. By late December, both teams will have a much clearer picture of where they stand, and the Green and Perkins debate will either look prophetic or foolish depending on how the Warriors season unfolds.

Did Kendrick Perkins really call Draymond Green a liability?

Yes. On ESPN First Take the morning after Green ejection, Perkins said Green has done absolutely nothing for the Warriors and called him a liability more than an asset.

How did Draymond Green respond to Perkins?

Green answered on The Draymond Green Show. He admitted he is 1000 percent not the player he once was at 36, turning 37 this season, but said the difference between him and critics like Perkins is that he can think.

Why was Draymond Green ejected against the Suns?

He committed a hard foul on Khaman Maluach, throwing him to the floor, then grabbed Dillon Brooks by the collar. He received two technical fouls. It was the 23rd ejection of his career and his first of the season.

Was Draymond Green suspended after the ejection?

No. The NBA looked at the incident and decided not to punish him further, so he was available for the Warriors next games, including the win over Miami.

Sources

• Basketball Network: Draymond Green dismisses Perkins take on his defense
• Sportskeeda: Draymond Green goes on rant over Dillon Brooks labelling their altercation as de-escalation
• AmeriLedger: Draymond Green reveals the reason why he threw Khaman Maluach to the floor
• Hoops Wire: Warriors Steve Kerr does not need Draymond Green to score more

Final Thoughts

This argument will not be settled by one podcast episode or one television segment. It will be settled by the rest of the season. If the Warriors keep winning and Green keeps making the plays that do not show up in a scoring column, his answer will stand up. If the scoring drought deepens and opponents keep ignoring him on offense, Perkins words will keep echoing.

What makes this exchange worth watching is Green honesty. Most veterans in his position would deny the decline, blame the system, or attack the critic without admitting a thing. Green did the opposite. He said out loud that he is not the player he once was, not even close, and then asked whether the part of his game that remains is still enough. That is a brave thing to say in public, and it is also a smart one, because it moves the debate to ground where he is strongest. His body has slowed, but his mind has not, and he is betting his season on the idea that thinking the game still counts.