Jimmy Butler, Steve Kerr on Draymond Green after the last ejection

SAN FRANCISCO – Nights like this are just a part of it Draymond Green tax. The Golden State Warriors forward was ejected in the second quarter of their 123-114 win over the Utah Jazz.

Green picked up back-to-back technical fouls in quick succession after arguing with officials over what appeared to be a three-second unreported foul on Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski. After referee Simone Jelks called him his first technical foul, Green continued to berate the officials, at which point referee Kevin Cutler gave him a second technical, ejecting him from the game.

Green finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists with a -15 plus/minus in 12 minutes of action. After the game, Steve Kerr described what he saw that led to Green’s quick ejection.

“I didn’t hear what (Green) said, but it was quick,” Kerr said. “I know he got a (technical) and then Kevin (Cutler) threw him almost immediately. So I don’t know what he said, but I guess it was something Kevin didn’t want to listen to.”

Steve Kerr on Draymond Green’s ejection tonight and the level of concern about his technical foul.

“I don’t know what he said, but I guess it was something Kevin didn’t want to listen to… We need Draymond and I want him there.” pic.twitter.com/iRSbjO5LI7

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) January 4, 2026

After Green was ejected and the Warriors trailed by 11 with 2:25 left in the second quarter, the team bounced back thanks to a third-quarter effort Stephen Curry. Steph scored 20 points in the third quarter, the 45th time he’s done so in a quarter, finishing with 31 points on the night to fend off the lottery-bound Jazz.

Curry also didn’t know what Green said to the officials, but noted the consensus in the locker room was that he didn’t say enough to get ejected.

Difficult questions arise from Green’s ejection

Green’s ejection was the third time in his last eight games that he left the game early.

In the Warriors’ 119-116 win over the Phoenix Suns, Green was thrown in a similar fashion. Green got into an argument with officials over an altercation with Suns guard Colin Gillespieleading to two quick technicals and a takedown.

And in the following 120-97 win over the Orlando Magic, Green got into a heated argument with Kerr during a timeout midway through the third quarter. This led to Green coming off the bench and missing the remaining 20 minutes of the game.

Again, that’s part of the Draymond Green tax; Warriors are no strangers to such incidents. The same temperament and fire that got him thrown out at times is also what fueled a Hall of Fame career. As Steve Kerr has said many times: Golden State doesn’t win four titles without Green.

But as the Warriors hover just above .500, it’s hard not to wonder if that tax outweighs all the good that comes with it.

Over the past month, Green has noted cumulative -65 plus/minusspinning the ball 30 times in the process. Put that on top of his 44 assists over that span and you get a 1.46 assist/turnover ratio, well below his career average of 2.41.

Add in the fact that Golden State rallied to win all three contests without him, and those kinds of questions start to arise. Huge franchise-altering questions like whether the Warriors are better off without Green.

But Jimmy Butler vehemently stated that this was not the case. In his postgame interview, he dismissed the idea that the Warriors are better off without Green.

“Hell, it’s not a formula,” Butler said, shaking his head. “No, no, no, no. We need a 2-3 outside… When you’re the man down, you really have to pick it all up. It’s hard, it’s really hard to cover up what he’s doing on both ends of the floor. IQ on both ends of the floor. Obviously, defense, and getting everybody the ball.

Jimmy Butler went No. 5 when asked about Draymond Green’s ejection, but emphasized that winning without him doesn’t change his importance:

“It’s not a formula. We need 23 there… It’s so hard to do what he does, but it’s a collective effort when he’s not there.” pic.twitter.com/OKaGKSoZOZ0

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) January 4, 2026

“Drey’s off to a hot start, you know what I’m saying? It’s so hard to do what he does, but it’s a collective effort when he’s not there.”

Kerr’s feelings about Green mirrored Butler’s thoughts.

“I think big numbers, you get small samples, you see different things happen,” Kerr said. “I can tell you this: You look at Draymond’s career, and he’s been on the huge plus side, time and time again. And the last 8-10 games, we’ve started the same way. We’ve had a better feel, a better rotation, and I think we’re playing better overall. And I think he’s playing better, too.”

The on/off numbers support Kerr and Butler’s belief. According to Glass Cleaning, green is a +5.3 differential efficiency in the season, signaling that he remains positive on both sides.

Combine that with the capital Green has built up over the years on wins, and it’s not even close to a stretch to say the Warriors need him. IQ, defense, playmaking, leadership, that’s what they need. But to achieve that, they need Green on the court, not in the locker room watching his teammates rally without him.

Through 35 games, Green has nine technical fouls. The NBA initiates an automatic one-game suspension when a player reaches 16 technicals. The Warriors are not in the golden days when they could survive a Green suspension without a problem.

“We need Draymond, and I want him there,” Kerr said, aware of Green’s increasing number of technical fouls. “We’re not halfway through the season yet. There’s still a long way to go, and we need him.”