Draymond Green Explains Why He Threw Down Khaman Maluach

Draymond Green explained why he threw Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach to the floor during Monday night's Warriors-Suns game.

Green broke down the play on the Thursday edition of his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.

The sequence happened early in the third quarter with the Suns leading 65-57.

Maluach, a rookie starting for Phoenix, tried to establish post position against Green.

During the battle for position, Maluach made contact with Green, and Green fell to the floor.

Green got back up, grabbed Maluach, and threw him down to the hardwood.

"The one with Maluach, I'll take that one. That's got to happen," Green said on his podcast.

Green received a technical foul for the throwdown.

Moments later, Suns forward Dillon Brooks grabbed Green, and the two exchanged words and shoves.

That confrontation earned Green a second technical foul, which triggered an automatic ejection.

Brooks received one technical foul.

Green did not dispute the punishment.

"Little tech for throwing him. Yeah, no problem. I'll take that," Green said.

But he made clear he would not change his actions.

"The next time you try something like that, you got to know that that comes with something else," Green said.

THE BIG MAN'S CODE

Green framed the foul as a necessary act of self-preservation for a defensive anchor.

"I can't fall, and you score, and you just take off running back down the court — the story can't end like that," Green said.

He argued that letting Maluach score without resistance would destroy the respect opponents have for his defense.

"You can't anchor a defense if you're going to let the story end like that," Green said.

Green said that if a similar play happened in the future, his reaction would be the same.

He invoked two Hall of Fame big men to make his case.

"You must stand on that as a big man, if you don't, your paint get ran through, no rim protection cause there's no respect after that," Green said, citing Shaquille O'Neal and Ben Wallace as examples of players who enforced the same code.

Green said the foul was about sending a message to Maluach about the physical demands of the NBA.

"Some of those fouls just had to happen. They just have to in order to command the respect that you must command in order to protect a rim," Green said.

THE DILLON BROOKS SUBPLOT

Green also addressed Brooks's role in the incident.

In his postgame press conference, Brooks said Green was "tweaking" all game and that Brooks was trying to "de-escalate" the situation by grabbing Green.

Green rejected both claims.

Green said Brooks made the "tweaking" comment to get people on his side.

He also said Brooks had no intention of de-escalating anything.

"Miles Bridges was trying to de-escalate. You weren't trying to de-escalate. You were trying to be the villain. So, be that. But then don't go to the media and be like, 'I was de-escalating.' That's whack," Green said.

Bridges, a Suns forward, was one of the players who physically separated Green and Brooks.

Green's comments suggest he sees Brooks's public explanation as a cover for a role Brooks willingly plays.

THE EJECTION AND ITS AFTERMATH

Green's ejection came with two technical fouls.

The NBA did not issue any additional suspension for Green.

He is expected to be available for the Warriors' next game against the Miami Heat on Thursday.

The Warriors went on to win the game 116-113 after Green's ejection.

The team used the incident as a rallying point.

Green's absence forced the Warriors to finish the game without their defensive leader, but they held on for the win.

THE HISTORY BETWEEN GREEN AND BROOKS

The tension between Green and Brooks predates this game.

The Warriors eliminated Brooks's Memphis Grizzlies in the 2022 playoffs.

The Warriors also eliminated Brooks's Houston Rockets in the 2019 playoffs.

Last season, Brooks's Suns eliminated the Warriors in the play-in tournament.

Those playoff battles have created a long-running rivalry between the two players.

Green and Brooks have exchanged words and physical play in multiple games over the years.

THE NEXT MEETING

The Warriors and Suns are scheduled to play again on Dec. 28.

That game falls on the back end of a back-to-back for Golden State and is the third game in four days.

The Warriors often rest Stephen Curry and Green in such scheduling situations.

The only other regular-season meeting between the two teams is April 6, in the final week of the regular season.

Given the history and the fresh incident, any future matchup between Green and Brooks will carry extra attention.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE WARRIORS

Green's willingness to absorb a technical foul to enforce physicality is a known part of his game.

He has built his career on being the Warriors' defensive anchor and enforcer.

His explanation frames the Maluach foul not as a loss of control but as a calculated decision.

Green accepted the ejection as the cost of maintaining his defensive reputation.

"That's all a part of protecting a rim, being an anchor of a defense. I want to help y'all understand that and let you know that, yeah, that will happen again," Green said.

For the Warriors, Green's approach carries both benefits and risks.

His physical defense and leadership are central to the team's identity.

But ejections and technical fouls can hurt the team in close games.

The Warriors managed to win this one despite losing Green.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE SUNS

For Maluach, the incident is part of his adjustment to the NBA's physical play.

Rookies often face hard fouls from veterans who test their toughness.