Draymond Green isn’t holding back on the NBA’s Play-In Tournament and sounded off on its current state as the Golden State Warriors look to win two play-in games on the road and clinch a playoff spot.
Despite the 110-105 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the Warriors (37-42) are locked into the 10th seed in the Western Conference with three regular-season games to play.
Draymond Green Doubles Down on NBA Play-In Tournament Criticism
The play-in was designed to inject life into the final weeks of the schedule, keeping fanbases engaged and discouraging tanking by offering lifelines to the ninth- and 10th-seeded teams.
However, Green was not impressed and suggested that the competitive stakes were lacking during the final stretch of the regular season. After the game against the Kings, he was asked for his take on Golden State being in the play-in.
“It’s not exciting. I’m a competitor, so I’m gonna do all I can to win, but it’s not that exciting. I’m not going to sleep tomorrow night like ‘man I got this Play-In next week,’” Green remarked.
“It’s not exciting. I’m a competitor, so I’m gonna do all I can to win, but it’s not that exciting.”
Draymond gave an honest response when asked about being in the play-in pic.twitter.com/amlqfIsiWz
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 8, 2026
When asked if the format was a positive for the league, he responded, “I think it worked initially. And now, to have a team stuck in 10th, it ain’t working. So we could have lost our last 15 games and been stuck in 10th. It ain’t working.”
Golden State has known its play-in fate for a while. Instead of battling for seeding, the team has been subjected to games in which wins do not move the needle, while losses carry no consequence.
This isn’t a new complaint from Green. During an episode of “The Draymond Green Show” in March this year, he noted that the franchise keeps finding itself in this exact position.
“I’m sick of the play-in,” Green said plainly. “It seems like we’re a play-in magnet. It sucks. That is the reality for us. We are not moving out of the play-in, and we won’t drop out of the play-in either.”
The Warriors’ season wasn’t supposed to end up here. The front office made massive moves to bolster the lineup, but the roster has been completely decimated by injuries.
Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending ACL tear in January. Moses Moody was lost for the season to a torn patellar tendon.
Stephen Curry just returned to the lineup off the bench on Sunday after missing 27 games with a right knee injury.
The Warriors now face a massive uphill climb. One bad shooting night, an unfortunate bounce, or a poorly timed cold streak means an exit before the traditional playoffs even begin.
