Draymond Green explains why he didn’t want Stephen Curry to return against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Golden State Warriors had no answer for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals.
As the Dubs suffered a 4-1 series defeat, Stephen Curry’s absence was deemed the biggest reason behind it. Curry suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1 and didn’t return for the entire series.
While most understood the severity of Steph’s injury, there were some who called out the 4x NBA champion for not trying to play in Game 5.
Warriors veteran Draymond Green has played 13 seasons alongside the Baby-Faced Assassin. During that time, the duo has established a relationship that goes beyond basketball.
Green recently spoke on Curry’s injury and why he was happy that the 37-year-old decided not to return against the Timberwolves.
“We have seen Steph play through a million injuries. Hamstrings, quads, calves, [and] muscles. If he could have given us 60%, I’d say no.
“If he could have given us 70%, I’d still say no. That’s not the answer,” Green said.
In simple terms, Green didn’t want Curry to risk aggravating his injury just to play below his 100% on the court. Sitting out the series makes sense when the bigger picture is taken into account, albeit the Warriors had to get eliminated.
There is no guarantee that the series would have ended in the Warriors’ favor even with Curry playing, but let’s put that on the back burner.
After the Dubs’ playoff elimination, Curry focused on the Warriors’ future and gave his honest opinion on the team’s offseason plans.
Curry remains convinced that the Warriors can make it work with their current roster, as Jimmy Butler’s addition was an instrumental move.
However, if the Warriors want to try and go in a different direction, there’s always the option to navigate the trade market in the offseason.
