Draymond Green claims he would rather lose in Round 1 than NBA finals

This year, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors wound up getting eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round after a hamstring strain sidelined Steph Curry for much of the series.

While many fans were disappointed by the outcome, given that Curry is in the twilight years of his career, the way Draymond Green sees things, unless a team is going to go all the way, it’s better to go out in the first round than to lose in the NBA finals.

During the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show on Tuesday, the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year explained his reasoning:

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"I personally think making it to the NBA finals is one of the worst seasons you can have. Going to the NBA finals and winning an NBA championship, those two things are so far apart.

"You get nothing for making the NBA finals except a couple $10,000 more dollars than conference finals and you get another three weeks shorter summer. ... If you don't win it, it's almost worse. Like you might as well have lost in the first."

Warriors fans will have a chance to see the Curry-Green duo make another run at the NBA finals next season, with the team notably having a full season with Jimmy Butler, whom it acquired at the trade deadline.

Looking at the offseason ahead for Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors' roster following a second-round exit from the playoffs

After a second-round elimination from the playoffs, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors' focus is now shifting to the 2025-26 season.

Heading into the trade deadline, there was a lot of talk surrounding the Warriors' desire to acquire a high-level center to aid their championship push.

Instead, they brought in a valuable asset in Jimmy Butler to help facilitate on the offensive end of the floor and make things difficult for opposing teams on the defensive end of the floor.

In doing so, however, they created a bit of a spacing problem, which became prevalent once Jonathan Kuminga returned to action. As coach Steve Kerr explained prior to the playoffs, lineups with Kuminga, Green and Butler struggled given the lack of spacing.

Following the team's second-round exit, Kerr echoed a similar sentiment during an appearance on San Francisco Standard columnist Tim Kawakami's podcast, indicating that Kuminga's fit with the team's roster is "tricky".

As such, this offseason is expected to see the team part ways with Kuminga in hopes of landing a big man to aid its quest for a title.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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